In India, the apprehension of a new wave of Covid-19 pandemic has alerted the health authorities, in the US new protocols for screening students seeking visa for the new Covid-19 variants might cause much harassment to the Indians seeking admission to the US educational institutions. Trump Administration has also ordered strict screening of social media screening of the Indian students, but they might now also face Covid-19 checking.
In India, the recent spread of the new variant of Covid-19, commonly known as Pirola; identified as the Omicron sub-variant BA. 2.86, has forced health authorities to be is on a countrywide alert. The Union Health Ministry, however, is against any panic action. Meanwhile, the key institutions affiliated with various government agencies are now engaged in working out strategies to counter this latest health menace from China.
The US, which has already walked out from the World Health Organization (WHO), is not taking its warning seriously, but its federal agencies have increased their vigil. Earlier, on May 28, it had stated, “a new COVID-19 strain that is dominant in China appears to be driving up cases in parts of the world and is currently spreading in Southeast Asia, the western Pacific regions, and the Mediterranean”. In other words, the students seeking visa from these regions might have to undergo strict screening. In New Delhi, it is being assessed that it would adversely affect the prospects of Indian students, who constitute a majority from the region, seeking admission to the US universities and colleges.
In India, the health authorities have issued advisory regarding the symptoms of the infection, which causes cough, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, sore throat, muscle or body ache and congestion or running nose. They, however, have suggested home treatment for the infected patients.
Meanwhile, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, who has also served in the PMO, has conducted a review of the recent COVID-19 cases reported from several states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. The ministry, according to sources, has already evolved a strategy to deal with any contingency by keeping a countrywide vigil and surveillance system on a higher gear through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR’s sentinel surveillance network.
Initial reports indicate that the infections have mild impact, but a few cases identified in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have caused concerned because a number of infants have been found positive. They indicate that the new COVID-19 variants found in Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries in the region are not more transmissible or cause more severe disease compared to the previously circulating variants”.
Rising Number of Cases: It is estimated that by May 19, India has reported 257 active COVID-19 cases, most of which are mild and require no hospitalisation. However, the recent case of COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type have alerted Indian authorities. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noticed told the media earlier this week that about 20 sequences of the variant have been detected in the country. The new variant, however, is increasing globally, but it is being claimed that the current vaccines are expected to remain effective.
“To permit robust COVID-19 risk assessment and management, WHO has reiterated its recommendations to member states to continue to monitor and report SARS-CoV-2 activity and burden, public health and healthcare system impacts of COVID-19, strengthen genomic sequencing capacity and reporting, in particular information on SARS-CoV-2 variants, promptly and transparently to support global public health efforts.” SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. In the US, the airport screening in the United States has been intensified for detecting the new variant in travellers arriving from China, Singapore, Hongkong and Cambodia and South Asian region.
Trump Policy Ridiculed: S. Krishnamoorthi, a New Delhi-born Indian-American law-maker, who represents Illinois, USA, has severely criticised the ‘myopic policy’ of the Trump Administration in creating hurdles in extending visa to Indian students under the pretext of social screening or in the name of the Covid-19 screening. Interestingly, this 1973-born American politician had accompanied his father to Buffalo, New York, when he was barely an infant of three months. Before being elected to the US Congress, Krishnamoorthi also attended Princeton University to graduate in mechanical engineering. Later, he became juris doctor with honours from Harvard Law School. He joined public life after editing the Harvard Civil Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review. Krishnamoorthi has cautioned the Trump Administration that its decision to freeze student visas interviews and strict social media screening could be damaging the country’s economy and national security. It would also be weakening US global competitiveness.
Gopal Misra has been associated with national and international media. His books on journalism and geo-politics have been well-appreciated. Views are personal.
