In the view of a surge in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has again shifted its focus towards genome sequencing as no screening on international passengers has started yet in Mumbai.
This development came after the Centre sounded an alert asking states to track positive samples and ramp up genome sequencing of all new cases on a daily basis.
Soon after this, health officials in Maharashtra said that there was no need to panic as no sudden spike has been observed in the state. However, officials cautioned, people should continue wearing masks and remain vigilant if they have any recent travel history.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, December 20, told media: “To monitor the COVID situation in the state, the government will form a committee/task force in coordination with the Centre.”
If reports are to be believed, as many as 3,758 swab samples were tested on Wednesday, up from 1,837 the previous day.
The growth rate of coronavirus cases between December 14 and December 20 was 0.0004 per cent, the bulletin stated.Sanjeev Kumar, the additional municipal commissioner, told PTI they are focusing on genome sequencing of positive swab samples to keep track of any new coronavirus variants after the Union government's guidelines.
According to BMC's health bulletin, Mumbai on Wednesday, December 21, recorded eight new cases taking the overall tally to 11,55,064, while there was no fresh death linked to the infection.
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