People need not panic over surge in Covid cases, precautions need to be taken: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 21 (ANI): As the Union Health Ministry has issued a new alert for COVID-19 amid the surge in cases across the country, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah said on Thursday that people need not panic and that precautions need to be taken to avoid the risk.
"People need not panic. Rather, precautions need to be taken to stay out of the risk zone. People above the age of 60 should compulsorily wear masks in public spaces," CM Siddaramiah told reporters in Karnataka's Bengaluru.
"So far, in Karnataka, 92 cases have been detected. Out of these, 72 patients are quarantined at home. Only 20 are in hospitals, and seven of them are in the ICU. So far, three people have died not because of COVID alone, but there were other elements as well," he added.
The recent upsurge has been blamed on the JN.1 sub-strain, with mild fever and cough being among its most common symptoms. According to officials, the sub-strain is currently said to be prevalent in 36-40 countries has has led to 16 deaths over the last couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Kerala reported 300 new active cases of COVID-19 and three deaths on December 20, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The total number of active cases of COVID-19 in the country stood at 2,669.
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the COVID-19 situation in India and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment and management of COVID-19 given the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in some states.
During the meeting, Mandaviya emphasised the importance of being alert and prepared against new and emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus."It is important to be alert and prepared against new and emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus," Mandaviya said.
The Union Health Minister urged all the states to remain alert, increase surveillance and ensure an adequate stock of medicines, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators and vaccines.
Reiterating the need for joint efforts between the Centre and States to ensure efficient management of COVID-19, Mandaviya said, "Let us undertake mock drills once every three months at both the central and state levels and share best practises."
He also urged states to create awareness, manage the epidemic, and ensure the dissemination of factually correct information.
In the wake of the surge in respiratory diseases and the new JN.1 COVID sub-variant, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the virus is evolving and changing and urged the member states to continue with strong surveillance and sequence sharing. (ANI)