“Given the sudden spurt in cases in Japan, United States of America, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, it is necessary to undertake whole genome sequencing of positive case samples,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote in his letter. A letter to the states on Tuesday.
“Such an exercise would enable timely detection of new variants, if any.”
Data from the World Health Organization shows infections have increased in recent days in Japan, Korea, the United States, France and Brazil.
The government has asked all states to ensure that samples of all positive cases are sent to the 54 designated genome sequencing laboratories.
His ministry said Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya would meet senior officials on Wednesday to review the situation.