India wary of ‘sudden spurt’ in China’s Covid cases as Japan eyes impact on supply chains

India’s federal health ministry has instructed states to step up their tracking of Covid variants after cases surged in China and elsewhere

It came as Tokyo said it would pay close attention to China’s ‘infection situation’ and how this will affect trade as Beijing casts off zero-Covid

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A technician tests Covid-19 samples at a laboratory in Uttar Pradesh earlier this year. India’s health ministry has instructed states to step up genome sequencing of Covid cases amid China’s outbreak. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:29am, 21 Dec 2022

India and Japan are watching closely as Beijing moves away from its strict zero-Covid policy, with New Delhi’s health ministry warning of a “sudden spurt” in cases in China and elsewhere.

A monthly report for December from Japan’s Cabinet Office said the country’s economy was “improving moderately” and its overall assessment was unchanged, but noted that it would pay close attention to the Covid-19 situation in China, in addition to risks from a global economic slowdown, price increases and supply constraints.

“If China’s infection situation impacts on supply chains or trades, it could also impact on Japan’s economy as we’ve seen earlier this year,” a Cabinet Office official said.

A container terminal in east China’s Jiangsu province. Japan has voiced concerns about the effects of Beijing’s zero-Covid reversal on supply chains. Photo: Xinhua

At the same time, India’s federal health ministry has instructed state authorities to step up genome sequencing of Covid cases in view of a “sudden spurt” in cases not just in China but also in Japan, the United States, South Korea and Brazil.

In a letter seen by reporters, the ministry said that it was “essential to the whole genome sequencing of positive case samples” in order to track any new variants.

Genome sequencing can be used to identify and track Covid-19 variants.

“In this context, all states are requested to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis, are sent” to nationally designated genome sequencing laboratories, said the letter sent on Tuesday.