Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday informed Parliament that RT-PCR tests of 16,000 passengers from 'at-risk' countries have been conducted so far, of whom 18 have tested positive for COVID-19.
IMAGE: Passengers maintain COVID-19 protocols at Lucknow airport as the state government decided to intensify surveillance and increase RT-PCR tests at the airports, railway stations, and bus stand following the precautionary measures of a new variant 'Omicron'. Photograph: Naeem Ansari/ANI Photo
He also said that genome sequencing for Omicron detection is underway for such passengers.
Replying to a debate on the pandemic in the Lok Sabha, he said the Union government has taken measures to make the country ready for any future challenges and adopted the buffer stock policy to ensure that all states have enough medicines to deal with any further surge in COVID-19 cases.
"A decision on booster dose and jabs for children will be taken on the basis of scientific advise," he said and appealed to opposition parties to trust scientists.
