NEW DELHI : Covid-19 surveillance, including testing and sequencing, has declined significantly, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan warned, as India reported a surge in cases.
The slide in surveillance, she said, is making it increasingly difficult to assess the impact of variants on transmission, disease characteristics and the effectiveness of counter-measures.
She also noted that diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are not being deployed effectively, although the pandemic is not over yet.
In the last 24 hours, India has reported more than 14,000 new cases and 32 deaths. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has directed states and UTs to implement strict testing, surveillance and vaccination.