NEW DELHI: At a time when a section of medical experts have opined that the Centre’s heightened efforts to prevent yet another Covid wave in light of the highly transmissible BF.7 variant may be a unnecessary, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday warned against an ‘infodemic’. He urged healthcare professionals to rely on only authentic and verified information.
“The Ministry has been sharing information on various aspects of Covid prevention and management,” the health minister said while virtually interacting with about 100 doctors from across the country and members of the Indian Medical Association.
Meanwhile, India saw a single-day rise of 196 new infections, while the active cases have increased to 3,428, according to latest data. On Monday, four international tourists — two each from Myanmar and Bangkok — tested positive in Bihar. Following this, the state government sealed the hotels in which the tourists were staying as a precautionary measure.
In West Bengal, two persons, including a British national, tested positive at the Kolkata airport. The British national was kept in isolation but the Indian, who returned from Bangkok, managed to slip away and is reported to be missing.
In Agra, a man tested positive on Sunday after returning from China on Friday. The sample of the 40-year-old, who is currently asymptomatic, was brought for genome sequencing at King Georges’ Medical University, Lucknow, to test the presence of the latest sub-variant of the virus.
India will hold a mock drill on Tuesday to check preparedness of health facilities to deal with any spurt in Covid-19 cases, while cautious authorities encouraged the use of masks, with Karnataka making it mandatory in schools, colleges and at places where large crowds gather for New Year celebrations.