Underlining the highly transmissible nature of Omicron and the preponderance of asymptomatic cases, the Union government has urged nine states and Union Territories to ramp up COVID-19

testing to ensure that infected people do not spread the virus to others. In a letter to Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and

Bihar, Additional Secretary of Union Health Ministry Arti Ahuja pointed out a considerable decline in COVID-19 testing amid rising cases and positivity rate and said it is a "cause of

concern".