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Govt hospitals in 7 Malwa districts conduct mock drills to check Covid preparedness
Covid response mock drills were conducted at government hospitals in seven Malwa districts on Tuesday as part of a nationwide exercise to check its preparedness to deal with any surge in cases.
Covid response mock drills were conducted at government hospitals in seven Malwa districts on Tuesday as part of a nationwide exercise to check its preparedness to deal with any surge in cases.
The health department conducted mock drills at the district hospitals in Faridkot, Moga, Bathinda, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Mansa to assess their preparedness, including availability of beds and manpower, to deal with any increase in the number of Covid cases amid reports of surge in some countries.
Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot, which caters to seven districts of the south Malwa region of Punjab along with border areas of Haryana and Rajasthan, also put a dedicated Covid ward on standby along with other preparations.
Only 15% got booster dose in Faridkot
Amid surge in number of Covid cases in some parts of the world, only 15% people in Faridkot district have received the booster dose so far.
Faridkot civil surgeon Dr Naresh Kumar Bathla said the health department have conducted a mock drill in the government hospitals to check the stock of medicine, availability of equipment and readiness of the wards.
“From vaccination to treatment, everything has been monitored so we can be prepared if required. So far, 97% of the eligible persons in the district have received two doses of Covid vaccine, but the number are low for booster dose. So far, 15% people have received the booster dose. We are trying to increase the number by educating people as taking vaccine is the best defence against Covid,” he added.
An official said the low turnout to take the booster dose could be a result of laxity among residents as infection rate had dipped across the country.
Bathinda civil hospital keeps 75-bed facility on standby
Senior medical officer, Bathinda, Dr Amninder Pal Singh said that civil hospital is fully prepared and a mock drill was conducted to check the functioning. “A five-bed Covid ward is already set up in the hospital, while 75-bed facility is on standby, which can be used if needed,” he added.
Mock drill carried out at Patiala hospital
While reviewing the arrangements of beds, oxygen, medicines among others, the mock drill of the isolation ward was conducted separately by the civil surgeon and the staff. The civil surgeon said the preparations have been made for 24-hour duty of the staff. In the initial phase, Mata Kaushalya Hospital and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, and Civil Hospitals at Nabha, Samana and Rajpura are being prepared for any upsurge in cases.
The civil surgeon has advised the people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Kaur said, “We have readied 180 beds in various hospitals like Mata Kaushalya Hospital, Rajindra hospital and sub-divisional hospitals at Nabha, Samana and Rajpura.” About vaccination, she said, “Vaccination is going on at the hospital. We have limited doses of Covishield and have demanded more.”
On genome sequencing of fresh cases, Dr Sumeet Singh, district epidemiologist, said, “The variant of BF.7 has not been found in our district yet. The report of the gene sequencing is awaited. All these three patients are young and without any comorbidities. There is no apparent cause for any panic reaction or any risk of massive outbreak. We do advise for caution and testing if having any symptoms such as body ache or fever .”
