Bihar government directs all districts in state to increase COVID-19 RT-PCR testing

Amid concerns about a potential COVID-19 resurgence, the Bihar government directed all districts and hospitals within the state to significantly increase RT-PCR testing for the virus. The directive outlines mandatory testing measures at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga airports, along with broader efforts to boost testing rates across the state.

The number of new COVID cases increased by 52 per cent during the past four-odd weeks, the WHO said, with over 850 000 new cases reported during the period. The number of new deaths decreased by 8 per cent as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 3,000 new fatalities reported, World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest press release.

Bihar government directs all districts and hospitals in the state to increase COVID-19 RT-PCR testing with random testing of arrivals at Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga airports pic.twitter.com/yNAVrXWKtn

— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2023

As of December 18, 2023, JN.1, a sub-lineage of BA.2.86 Omicron variant has been designated a separate variant of interest (VOI) apart from its parent lineage BA.2.86 due to its rapid increase in prevalence in recent weeks. Globally, EG.5 remains the most reported variant of interest.

Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86. It was previously classified as VOI as part of BA.2.86 sublineages.