As COVID Cases Rise, Govt Advises 5 States To Monitor Clusters, Screen Influenza

New Delhi: For the first time in nearly three months, India’s daily COVID-19 cases crossed 4,000 on Friday, according to Union Health ministry data.

A tad worried, the Health ministry has written to five states that have witnessed a recent surge in coronavirus infections cases and asked them to take necessary steps required to curb its spread in a prompt and effective manner.

The states in question — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra – have been advised to monitor clusters and screen severe acute respiratory infections and influenza-like illnesses.

The Health ministry has also asked the five states to ramp up genome sequencing, following government guidelines.

Government data shows the recent rise in cases are mostly fuelled by outbreaks in pockets of urban centres like Mumbai and Chennai.

The seven-day average of daily infections climbed to over 400 cases a day in Mumbai – up from 143 just two weeks ago.