Haridwar (U'khand), Dec 21 (PTI) The Uttarakhand government is preparing to issue a fresh standard operating procedure on COVID-19 based on the Centre's guidelines following a sudden spurt in cases in the US, Japan, Korea, Brazil and China, Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said on Wednesday.

The sudden spurt in positive cases in these countries has caused concern among Indian authorities.

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Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has sent a circular to all states and Union Territories, emphasising on whole genome sequencing of positive cases to understand the virus' new variants.

"Though the Covid situation in the state is well within control, we are taking all precautions. We will issue a fresh Covid SOP (standard operating procedure) immediately after receiving the guidelines from the Centre," Rawat said.

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)