JAKARTA - India's Health Minister asked the public to take COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks and getting vaccinated, as the country is wary of potential new variants that could emerge from a wave of infections in China.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told parliament Thursday India would begin testing randomly 2 percent of international travelers arriving at the country's airport after he asked regional authorities to send positive samples to laboratories monitoring the new type of COVID.
"Negarries have been told to make people aware of (the need to) wear masks, use hand sanitizer, maintain breathing hygiene and maintain social distancing," Mandaviya said, as he prompted Indians to receive vaccines or booster doses.
Speaking at a meeting to review the country's COVID situation, amid rising cases in several Asian countries, Minister Mandaviya said:
"COVID is not over yet. I have directed all parties to be vigilant and strengthen surveillance."
India, a country of 1.3 billion, relaxed COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year, following a decrease in infections, with most people stopping wearing masks outside.
The warning comes as China prepares for infections spread from its largest cities to vast rural areas, following the hasty lifting of its zero-COVID strategy and lack of preparation earlier this month.
Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday expressed concern over China's increasing cases, stressing he was concerned about "an increase in reports of severe illness."
"To make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO requires more detailed information on the severity of the disease, hospitalization, and requirements for ICU support," Dr. Tedros explained at a press conference.
The spike could lead to nearly 1 million deaths in China, according to a study released last week, adding it is also likely to burden many local health systems in the country.
Meanwhile, Chinese experts have warned that the worst may not be coming yet. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said last week China was hit by the first wave of three expected infections this winter.
Last year, India was destroyed by the second wave of COVID-19, which killed tens of thousands of people and overwhelmed the country's health system.
Since then, India has administered more than 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines and nearly 75 percent of its population has received at least one dose, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
According to the Ministry of Health, India has seen a "stable decline" in cases, with an average of about 150 infections per day nationwide on December 19.
"We are ready to face any situation," Health Minister Mandaviya said in a Twitter post.
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