Amid global concern over China’s covid situation and research groups predicting that the death toll in China could rise into the millions, Adar Poonawalla, CEO and founder of the Serum Institute of India, tweeted that the news coming out of China is alarming. , “we should not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We should continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India.”
Serum Institute of India, maker of Covaxin covid vaccine, has helped India achieve high covid vaccination rate. India is registering about 1,200 new infections every week, while the rest of the world is registering about 35 lakh cases every week.
Citing the rise in COVID-19 cases in China and elsewhere, the Indian government on Tuesday asked all states to step up surveillance for new variants of the coronavirus. India has reported the most cases of COVID in the world after the United States, but the number of confirmed infections has fallen sharply in recent months.
Recent infections in neighboring China have raised concerns that new variants may emerge after strict restrictions on COVID-19 end.
“Given the sudden influx of cases occurring in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, it is imperative to prepare for whole genome sequencing of samples from positive cases,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote. a letter to the states on Tuesday.
Dr. Sangita Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals, agrees with Poonawala’s views.
“Given India’s widespread push for effective vaccines against Covid, there is no need to panic over rising cases of Covid in China. That said, there is no room for inertia. We need to act quickly on our policy on air travel. China,” he said. .
However, he called China’s situation alarming. “This is worrying because what happens in #China doesn’t stay – Wuhan R was the lesson 3 years ago. The current spread of COVID in China is not only an unfolding tragedy for China, but puts the (global) population at great risk,” he said. in another tweet.
On Twitter, many agreed with Poonawala and Sangita Reddy’s views. “We have to be cautious and vigilant and trust the government,” wrote @PittieAditya.
“Cancel China flights immediately,” wrote @ramachandra1983.
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