<p>Kolkata: The West Bengal Health Department will continue its surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases, in accordance with central guidelines, amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country, a senior official said.</p>.<p> Representatives of the department participated in a high-level review meeting with states chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday.</p>.<p> "We will continue our surveillance activity as per the guidelines of the health ministry. At present, there is not a single Covid-19 case in our state. However, we are ready with the infrastructure," the official told <em>PTI</em> on Wednesday.</p>.<p> In the meeting, Mandaviya reiterated that Covid was not over yet and urged the states to monitor emerging cases, symptoms and case severity to plan appropriate public health response.</p>.In Karnataka, patients’ reluctance to get tested for Covid worries doctors, experts.<p> Mandaviya asked all the states to remain alert, increase surveillance and ensure adequate stock of medicines, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators and vaccines.</p>.<p> A rise in daily positivity rate has been observed in a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka.</p>.<p> The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is working on genome sequencing of the new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, Union Health Ministry officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p> Twenty-one cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul said.</p>.<p> JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant emerged in late 2023 and is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS-CoV-2. </p>
<p>Kolkata: The West Bengal Health Department will continue its surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases, in accordance with central guidelines, amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country, a senior official said.</p>.<p> Representatives of the department participated in a high-level review meeting with states chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday.</p>.<p> "We will continue our surveillance activity as per the guidelines of the health ministry. At present, there is not a single Covid-19 case in our state. However, we are ready with the infrastructure," the official told <em>PTI</em> on Wednesday.</p>.<p> In the meeting, Mandaviya reiterated that Covid was not over yet and urged the states to monitor emerging cases, symptoms and case severity to plan appropriate public health response.</p>.In Karnataka, patients’ reluctance to get tested for Covid worries doctors, experts.<p> Mandaviya asked all the states to remain alert, increase surveillance and ensure adequate stock of medicines, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators and vaccines.</p>.<p> A rise in daily positivity rate has been observed in a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka.</p>.<p> The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is working on genome sequencing of the new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, Union Health Ministry officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p> Twenty-one cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul said.</p>.<p> JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant emerged in late 2023 and is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS-CoV-2. </p>