What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
WHO closely monitoring XBB.1.5 and other variants as India records daily positivity rate of 6.91%.
India has launched a nationwide mock drill to review the emergency preparedness of both public and private hospitals in light of the constant rise in Covid cases.
Earlier, the Central government had announced to conduct the emergency mock drill to review the country’s Covid preparedness once the cases escalated into an alarming situation.
Mock drills are exercises carried out at hospitals with real-time experience of “screening and tackling the entire situation during an emergency.” As part of the exercise, all aspects related to a healthcare facility, from infrastructure and hospitalization to oxygen availability are checked by the hospital administration and higher authorities.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged all states to conduct mock drills and review hospital preparedness. In an appeal to all state health ministers, he called for mock drills at all hospitals on April 10 and April 11. He further asked to review “the health preparedness with district administrations and health officials on April 8 and 9.”
Meanwhile, India recorded 5,880 new cases in the last 24 hours, with the daily positivity rate shooting up to 6.91 percent on Monday. India’s active caseload currently stands at 35,199. At present, the XBB 1.16 variant is on the surge, along with other variants.
Since mid-March, Covid-19 cases have seen an uptick. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is closely tracking one variant of interest (VOI), XBB.1.5, and six other variants under monitoring (BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBF, and XBB.1.16).
As cases continue to rise with weekly positivity rate standing nearly 4 per cent, the Centre’s Empowered Group 1 on Covid-19 led by Dr VK Paul met on Sunday for a review meeting on the country’s present Covid status and preparedness.
It was highlighted that while Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the predominant variant, most of the assigned variants have little or no significant transmissibility, disease severity, or immune escape. The prevalence of XBB.1.16 increased from 21.6 per cent in February to 35.8 per cent in March. However, no evidence of an increase in hospitalization or mortality has been reported, observed the Union health ministry.
The nationwide mock drills are a necessary step to ensure that the country’s health infrastructure can cope with any future surges in Covid cases. The exercise will help identify gaps in the preparedness and enable hospitals to address them in advance. It will also help to educate health workers and officials on how to handle emergencies and ensure that they are better equipped to face any unforeseen challenges.
