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Can mock drills prepare India for fresh Covid surge? 5 points to know
Covid-19 in India: India's active Covid cases stood at 3,468, including a single-day rise of 188 new infections, according to the latest available health ministry data.
With Covid-19 ‘drills’ conducted in hospitals across the country, Indian authorities have stepped up efforts for preparedness in the face of another possible pandemic wave, even though coronavirus infections in the country remain low. With a sudden outbreak in neighbouring China – which is also planning to reopen borders in January – the government has increased precautionary measures at airports, conducting random Covid tests and restricting those travelling from certain countries abroad without a negative test report.
The latest Covid scare has been caused by the Omicron sub-variant BF.7, the leading cause behind the Covid surge in China, Japan, South Korea, France and the United States. The sub-strain has been detected in India as well, however, experts have ruled out a cause of concern for now.
Over the last few days, the Centre and state ministries have conducted several high level meetings with senior officials to take note of the Covid preparedness of the health facilities. India's active Covid cases stood at 3,468, including a single-day rise of 188 new infections, according to the health ministry data on Tuesday morning.
Here are the latest developments on Covid-19 in India:
- Hospitals across states held mock drills to assess the readiness of health facilities in case of any spurt in Covid-19 cases. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and his state-level counterparts visited some of the largest hospitals, taking stock of bed availability, stocks of medicines and equipment like ventilators, and reviewing human resources.
- Mandaviya, who visited Delhi's Safdarjung hospital yesterday, highlighted the rising Covid infections across the world and said that India too “might witness a spike” in cases. “It is important that the entire Covid infrastructure in terms of equipment, processes and human resources are at a state of operational readiness”, he told reporters outside the hospital.
- In the last three days of random testing at international airports across states, as many as 39 passengers from abroad have tested positive for the viral disease. This is out of 1,780 samples collected for Covid testing from 498 international flights screened since December 24, officials told news agency ANI.
- On the vaccine front, the Centre has approved Bharat Biotech's intranasal vaccine iNCOVACC® as a booster dose for 18+ citizens, which will be available at a cost of ₹800 at private health centres and ₹325 at the government hospitals. The health ministry said those who have taken Covishield and Covaxin can take the nasal vaccine as a heterologous booster dose.
- The Centre has urged people to resume the practice of wearing face masks in public places and maintaining social distance. Karnataka government was the first to mandate the use of masks and double vaccination certificates at cinema theatres and educational institutions amid Christmas and New Years' festivities.
