Nationwide Mock Drills Underway As India Gears Up Against Covid-19 Amid Spike In China

As a matter of taking pre-emptive measures to contain?further spreading of coronavirus infections, India has reinforced several covid protocols. Centre also has issued a reviewd set of guidelines for passengers arriving from other countries.?

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said all state health ministers will take part at their level in the mock drill to be conducted throughout the country at all Covid-19 hospitals as part of the precautionary measures.

Here's a brief account of the current status of the nationwide mock drills.?

Delhi

Hospitals across Delhi have started conducting mock drills on Tuesday to assess their preparedness, including availability of beds and manpower, to deal with any increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The Centre issued an advisory to this effect on Monday amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases in some countries.

In the national capital, the drill will take place at Delhi government-run facilities like LNJP Hospital and private hospitals.

Following the Centre's directions, a mock drill will be held in all hospitals on Tuesday to check their readiness for Covid management, said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the health portfolio.

Any gaps would be addressed immediately by the health department officials, he said.

The mock drill will assess bed availability, manpower, referral resources, testing capacity, medical logistics, telemedicine services and medical oxygen availability, among other things.

Real-time data on the availability of beds, oxygen cylinders and ventilators will be available for the public on a Delhi government portal from Tuesday, officials said.

LNJP Medical Director Dr Suresh Kumar said, "We are all set for the drill which will assess our preparedness to deal with any emergency situation related to Covid-19 ."

Covid-19 testing is also likely to be ramped up soon. At present, around 2,500 to 3,000 tests are being conducted daily in the city, an official said.

Apollo Hospital in south Delhi's Sarita Vihar is among the private hospitals where the drill will be held, sources said.

Sources at another private hospital confirmed the exercise will take place at its Delhi facilities.

Delhi has recorded 2,007,159 Covid cases and 26,521 deaths since the pandemic started in early 2020. The number of daily cases has remained below 20 and the positivity rate below 1 per cent since mid-November, according to official data.

Referring to the surge in Covid-19 cases in some countries, the Union health ministry on Saturday underlined that it was necessary that requisite public health measures are put in place in all states and union territories to meet any exigencies.?

Mumbai

Hospitals in Mumbai are scheduled?carry out mock drills today to?check the preparedness of health facilities to handle any spike in Covid-19 cases, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said.

In Mumbai, the medical facilities which will conduct the mock drill include the civic-run Seven Hills Hospital (having 1,700 beds) and Kasturba Hospital (35 beds), government-run Cama Hospital (100 beds), St George Hospital (70 beds), Tata Hospital (16 beds), and Jagjivan Ram Hospital (12 beds).

The state-run J J Hospital also informed that it will conduct the mock drill.

According to civic doctors, the exercise is designed to check the readiness and response of hospitals in the wake of a rise in ? Covid-19 cases in some countries.

They have been asked to upload all reports collected during the drill on the Union government's dedicated portal for Covid-19

As per the BMC's release issued about preparedness of the "health infrastructure" on Monday, it has identified 10 civic hospitals, three government hospitals and 21 private hospitals having 2,124 isolation beds, of which 1,523 are functional.

The hospitals have 1,613 oxygen-supported beds and of those 1,021 are functional.

They have 579 ICU beds, of which 473 are functional and of the 1,079 ventilators, 954 are functional, the release said.

Out of the 3,245 doctors, 3,453 paramedics and 5,784 nurses, as many as 2,828 doctors, 3,246 paramedics and 4,029 nurses are trained in Covid-19 management, it said.

To diagnose and track Covid-19 cases, the city has a daily testing capacity of 1,35,035 at 34 hospitals and 49 laboratories, according to the release.

Also, the stock of medicines like Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Methylprednisolone, Dexamethasone, Amphotericin B Deoxycholate and Posaconazole is available.

"The medicines will be procured and made available in future if cases increase," the release said, adding that PPE kits, N-95 masks, nebulizers and pulse oximeters are available in adequate quantity.

The city has 859 functional oxygen concentrators and 2,933 oxygen cylinders, apart from 79 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants of 1,468 metric tons capacity and liquid medical oxygen of 268 metric tons capacity, it added.

West Bengal

Hospitals in West Bengal on Tuesday conducted Covid mock drill to check infrastructure and preparedness to combat in case there is any spike in Coronavirus cases, a senior Health department official said.

The mock drill started at city-based hospitals including MR Bangur Hospital, Infectious Diseases & Beleghata General Hospital, Medical College Hospital Kolkata, RG Kar Medical College and Shambhunath Pandit Hospital besides Dr BC Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences, the official said.

In the mock drill, hospitals will have to upload details about the number of beds for Covid patients, testing infrastructure, manpower, devices to treat such patients, oxygen resources.

All private hospitals in the city and one hospital each in the districts are also taking part in the drill, the official added.

"We are ready to face any situation in case there is any surge in Covid-19 cases. It's an exercise to keep a check on our preparedness to counter that. At the moment, the Covid-19 contagion is totally under control and there is no reason to panic. The state has enough testing facilities and we are ready to face any situation," Director of Health Services (DHS) Siddhartha Niyogi told PTI.

Starting Tuesday, the mock drill is going to continue throughout the state for the next two days.

?"We are going to upload a detailed report about our preparedness on the central Health ministry's portal by today," the DHS said.?

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian visits Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai to review Covid Mock drill.

Jammu and Kashmir

Mock drill is underway at (MCH) Hospital, Gandhi Nagar in Jammu as well?to ensure Covid management preparedness.

(With PTI Inputs)