New Covid wave: Centre asks states to ramp up healthcare facilities, check oxygen availability

A new COVID wave is sweeping across the county prompting the Centre to alert the states and union territories to brace up for the challenge.

The Centre has written to states and Union territories asking them to ramp up healthcare facilities and check oxygen availability.

“In the context of the spread of Variant of Concern Omicron, the world is currently reporting the highest ever surge in Covid-19 cases. In India, the case trajectory is also showcasing an upward trend with 16,764 cases reported on December 31, the highest ever single-day rise in the past 70 days. Many developed nations in Europe and the Americas are reporting a significant rise in new cases in the past few weeks, which indicates high transmissibility of the virus,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to states.

India’s Omicron tally crosses 1,400-mark, 5 states have more than 100 cases

The health infrastructure may soon start getting stressed as there is a sudden increase in cases, the Centre said.

In view of this, the Centre has asked the states to create makeshift hospitals. “States may also utilize hotel accommodations for patients having mild to moderate symptoms, as it was done during the earlier surges in some states,” the Centre said.

To monitor patients under home isolation, the states should constitute special teams, call centers, and control rooms. A clear focus on rural areas and pediatric cases must also be maintained, the letter said.

“States need to regularly review the availability of required logistics, oxygen availability, and buffer stick of drugs across all health facilities in the state,” the Centre said.

On the very first day of 2022, India reported 22,775 new Covid-19 cases and 406 deaths. The number of Omicron infections stands at 1,431, as of Saturday morning.

Omicron, the newest variant of SARS-CoV-2, is believed to be spreading very fast though the severity is not worrying as most Omicron patients are asymptomatic and are recovering without being hospitalized. But if patients are not isolated properly, there is an increased risk of transmission among other family members.