COVID-19: Maharashtra to test international passengers; masks not mandatory but advisable: Health department

The Maharashtra health department said 2 per cent of the international passengers arriving at the state's airports will be tested randomly amid concern of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to detection of the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron which is said to be driving the latest surge in infections in neighbouring China.

The state government has not made masks mandatory for people, but has advised their use by elderly persons and high-risk populations, including those with comorbidities (having existing illnesses), the health department said in a statement.

A state task force has been formed to guide the government for expert inputs, while district authorities have been asked to review the situation at their own level through existing committees.

District administrations and civic bodies have been asked to ramp up testing and every positive RT-PCR swab sample should be sent for genome sequencing to detect any new variant, the health department added.

Genomic sequencing is a laboratory test that can map out the whole genetic makeup of a virus from a patient's swab sample.

Officials in every district have been directed to ensure that all life-saving equipment like ventilators and oxygen plants are functioning properly, said the statement.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Health Minister Tanaji Sawant and Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan reviewed the coronavirus situation along with senior state government officials at a meeting in Nagpur, where the winter session of the state legislature is currently going on.

On the current COVID-19 situation in the state, the health department said new cases are declining.

The cases last week were 30 per cent down as compared to the 7-day period before that, while the positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, in the state was 0.29 per cent, said the statement.

At present, Maharashtra has 132 active cases, according to the daily COVID-19 bulletin issued by the health department.

Last week, only 16 COVID-19 patients needed hospitalisation in the state, it said.

"Two per cent of the international travellers will be tested randomly," the health department said.

Speaking in the state Assembly, Health Minister Sawant said international travellers arriving in the state will undergo thermal screening.

Sawant told the House that no patient infected with the BF.7 sub-variant has been reported so far in Maharashtra. Of the four cases of the BF.7 sub-variant detected in the country so far, two each are from Gujarat and Odisha.

All district and urban agencies are being made aware about the new variant and have been asked to stay on alert, Sawant said.

Fadnavis tweeted that nodal officers in each district will monitor the situation.

Sawant emphasised on testing, tracking, treatment and vaccination, but stressed there was nothing to fear.

If Omicron infected four people, this new strain (BF.7) infects 10 people, so its transmission rate is high, asserted the health minister.

BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible, has a shorter incubation period, and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis said citizens need not panic, but must take all appropriate precautions against COVID-19.