CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu health department on Thursday (December 22) issued an alert to all the District Medical Officers against the reported Omicron variant BF.7 and the hike in the number of Covid positive cases in many countries.

The Union Health Ministry has already received a letter from the State Public Health Department requesting that international passengers traveling from China and Hong Kong must undergo mandatory screenings.

In a letter to the Union Health Ministry, the director of the State Public Health Department, Dr. Selvavinayagam, urged that travelers arriving from China and Hong Kong must be checked because of an increase in Covid-19 in those nations.

In the letter, the state's public health secretary also made mention of 1,48 lakh cases of Covid-19 reported in China over the past week and the 480 deaths reported there that were reportedly discovered in public places.

Due to a sharp decline in Covid-19 cases, the Union government dropped its requirement that 2% of all arriving foreign travelers be randomly tested.

97% of the people in Tamil Nadu have received their first dose of the vaccine, and 92% have received their second dosage. The state health department advised the district medical officers in a letter that they should be aware of any developments, report any new instances, and be required to check samples of the variant found in the patients.

The health department has also urged the public to wear masks. The state government has, however, told people not to panic and said that the health department was taking precautions against any possible Covid surges.

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