India hospitals are on high alert as COVID-19 cases increase.
The health ministry of India is testing hospitals’ capacity to handle an increase in Covid-19 cases by performing fake drills.
On Monday and Tuesday, the drills will take place all around the nation.
Although there are not many active cases in India, experts advise caution to prevent the disease from spreading further.
In 2021, the nation experienced a second devastating wave, and as many hospitals ran out of oxygen and critical care beds, the government came under fire.
On Sunday, India had over 6,000 new cases, according to government data. There were 35,000 cases open.
The omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 is mostly responsible for the increase in numbers. According to the WHO, they were keeping an eye on the subvariant and its growth in India.
It isn’t known to be fatal, according to experts.
It’s been going around for a while. According to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, “We haven’t noticed a difference in severity in individuals or in groups, but that’s why we have these mechanisms in place.
Although there has been a substantial spike in cases in many Indian cities in recent weeks, there has not been a corresponding rise in hospital admissions.
The practice drills, which are being seen by Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s health minister, and other state health ministers, involve both public and private facilities.
Mr. Mandaviya also urged health officials to expand Covid-19 testing and immunization during a conference held online on April 7. He also ordered them to track respiratory sickness cases in order to identify emergency hotspots.
He also emphasized the need for greater understanding of Covid-acceptable conduct, such as wearing masks in public.
In the meanwhile, some states have made wearing masks in public a requirement, and they’re advising people to adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in the neighboring China, India was also on high alert in December and had increased surveillance.