Delhi hospitals told to step up Covid-19 prep

There has been no notable spike in infections in the Capital so far, with just 23 new cases reported over the last 10 days

The Delhi government on Friday issued an advisory instructing all hospitals in the city — both public and private — to step up preparedness as a precautionary measure in response to a recent rise in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country. The advisory calls for ensuring the availability of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, and vaccines.

As of May 19, Delhi had only five active Covid-19 cases, underscoring the minimal prevalence of the virus in the region this year.(Representative image/REUTERS)

To be sure, there has been no notable spike in infections in the Capital so far, with just 23 new cases reported over the last 10 days, according to official data.

As of May 19, Delhi had only five active Covid-19 cases, underscoring the minimal prevalence of the virus in the region this year.

Still, Friday’s advisory urged all hospitals to enhance preparedness to deal with the possibility of an upsurge of infections. It stressed on the urgent need to ensure the availability of hospital beds, oxygen supplies, essential medicines, and vaccines.

It also asked hospitals to take “immediate action,” including conducting refresher training for dedicated Covid-19 staff and ensuring all life-saving equipment such as ventilators, BiPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, and PSA units are functional and ready for use.

This latest directive comes amid reports of a surge in Covid-19 cases in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. While India’s overall Covid situation remains under control, senior officials from the Union ministry of health and family welfare held a meeting with technical experts earlier this week to review the situation nationally.

Delhi has largely seen low Covid-19 activity through 2024. The last significant advisory was issued in March 2023, when cases rose to around 300—the first such uptick since August 2022. At the time, the then health minister had urged residents not to panic.

The current advisory also directs all hospitals and health facilities to report Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases daily through the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP). Confirmed cases of Covid-19 or influenza are to be reported under the L form on the same portal. Hospitals must also update all relevant parameters on the Delhi state health data management portal daily.

“Send all positive COVID-19 samples for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to LokNayak hospital so as to enable timely detection of new variants, if any and share the number of samples sent for WGS with the State Surveillance Unit,” the order reads.

In addition, all positive Covid-19 samples must be sent to Lok Nayak Hospital for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to enable timely detection of new variants. The number of samples sent for sequencing should also be shared with the State Surveillance Unit.

The advisory reiterates the importance of basic preventive measures and mandates that respiratory etiquette, including mask-wearing within hospital premises, must be strictly enforced.

The Delhi government has called for strict compliance with the advisory to ensure that the city’s healthcare infrastructure remains ready to respond swiftly to any potential surge in Covid-19 cases.