The COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is changing but is not yet gone, and more cases are being reported in 110 countries. Together, BA.5 and BA.4 accounted for around 52 percent of new cases of coronavirus in the US as of June 25. BA.5 accounted for 36.6 percent of all cases and BA.4 for 15.7%. According to data from the Union health ministry, India recorded 18,819 new Covid-19 cases and 39 fatalities in the previous day ending at 8 am on Thursday. 13,827 people were cured of the virus, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,04,555. The current national death toll stands at 5,25,116.Rajesh Bhushan, the union health secretary, wrote to all states asking them to follow the updated surveillance guidelines in three areas: incoming international travellers, sentinel sites like hospitals and laboratories, and within the community, along with wastewater sample collection, in response to the rise in Covid-19 cases in India. The states are required to randomly test 2% of all foreign travellers arriving in India and transmit all positive samples for genome sequencing. The fast-propagating Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, combined, are thought to account for half of the coronavirus infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.
By Subhechcha Ganguly
