Amid rising cases, health dept issues Covid-19 advisory

Given the spiralling numbers, Nipun Vinayak and Virendra Singh, two secretaries of the health department of Maharashtra, on Monday issued an advisory to all municipal commissioners, district collectors and chief executive officers of all zilla parishads to follow Covid-19 guidelines

MUMBAI: Amid the rising number of Covid-19 patients in the state, with 59 cases registered on Monday, the state health department on Monday issued an advisory to all administrative heads such as district collectors and municipal commissioners to follow the guidelines for handling Covid-19 and make arrangements for isolation beds, medical oxygen, PPE kits, medicines and facilities for treatment. All senior citizens and people with comorbidities have been urged to avoid going to poorly ventilated or crowded places or use a face mask in such places.

Thane, India - May -23, 2025:The government of Maharahstra has become alert after some Covid patients were found in Mumbai and Thane, a Covid ward has been prepared for Covid patients at Thane Civil Hospital. Nurses are seen preparing a ward at Thane Civil Hospital. ,in Thane,in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, May -23, 2025. ( Praful Gangurde /HT Photo )

Covid-19 cases have been on the rise since last month. There were 873 patients in the state from January to May, 483 of these in Mumbai. Of the latter, 477 cases were detected in May alone. As per the report of the health department, on June 2 a total of 59 cases were registered in the state, with 20 in Mumbai, four in Thane and 17 in Pune city. The total number of active cases in the state was 494 on Monday.

Given the spiralling numbers, Nipun Vinayak and Virendra Singh, two secretaries of the health department of Maharashtra, on Monday issued an advisory to all municipal commissioners, district collectors and chief executive officers of all zilla parishads to follow Covid-19 guidelines.

The letter states that though most of these cases are, as a precaution, the guidelines issued by the central government regarding Covid-19 need to be followed. The heads have been asked to monitor the situation closely and register the details on related platforms.

“The currently circulating Omicron variants are JN1, XFG and LF 7.9. These variants cause mild illness such as fever, cough and sore throat, which usually resolve on their own. All data related to Covid-19, including specific comorbidities, should be regularly entered on the platforms. IEC (Information, Education and communication) activities should be undertaken to encourage people to follow hygienic behaviour such as hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette (covering mouth or nose while coughing/sneezing), not sneezing in public places etc. The elderly and people with comorbidities especially should avoid going to poorly ventilated or crowded places or use a face mask in such places,” states the letter.

Patients with symptoms of acute respiratory problems have been advised to self-monitor their health and report to the nearest health facilities if they experience symptoms such as breathing problems and chest pain.

The health department has directed the local administration to review the preparedness of hospitals at the district and sub-district level, municipal/municipal council hospitals and all other facilities as well as medical colleges and other educational institutions. “Emphasis should be on adequate availability of diagnostics, essential medicines, PPEs, isolation beds, medical oxygen, ICU and ventilator beds. Mock Drills should be conducted to ensure the efficiency of PSA plants (a technology to separate oxygen from air) and overall oxygen preparedness,” says the letter. It also directs the concerned people to submit an Action Taken Report in this regard immediately.

As on May 28, 2025, there were a total of 1,621 active cases of Covid-19 in the country. More than 90% of the cases are in six states: Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.