The Centre wrote to the States on June 9 that the long term vision is to fully integrate COVID-19 surveillance within the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). In this context, Karnataka’s Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended that the long term epidemiological trend of COVID-19 supported with genomic surveillance and sewage surveillance should be closely monitored now.
The Centre’s letter said that COVID-19 has now entered a new phase characterised by sustained incidence of mild cases with very low hospitalisation and mortality rates in the country. So, does this mean COVID is entering an endemic stage now? Experts that The Hindu spoke to said that this cannot be said as of now based on the current transmission dynamics.