Delhi logs 23 fresh Covid cases, asks hospitals to keeps beds, oxygen ready in advisory

On Friday, the Delhi government released an advisory regarding Covid-19, urging hospitals in the national capital to secure the availability of beds, oxygen, medications, and vaccines. Delhi’s health minister Pankaj Singh announced on Friday that 23 new Covid cases have emerged in the city, stating that the government is checking the details of these infections to establish whether the patients are local residents or have traveled recently.

The warning has been issued as cases have increased in recent weeks in countries such as China, Thailand, and Singapore. All healthcare facilities have been requested to forward every positive Covid-19 sample for genome sequencing to Lok Nayak Hospital.

“The hospitals must ensure preparedness in terms of availability of beds, oxygen, antibiotics, other drugs and vaccines. All equipment such as ventilators, Bi-PAP, oxygen concentrators and PSA must be in functional condition,” it stated.

The health department announced that all parameters must be reported daily on the Delhi state health data management Portal. Mild infections have been documented from various regions of India. The Union health ministry reported that 257 cases were documented nationwide on Wednesday.

Maharashtra recorded 56 Covid cases, whereas Tamil Nadu noted 66. Infections were similarly identified in Puducherry, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Haryana, Karnataka, and West Bengal.

On Friday, Kerala’s health minister Veena George announced that the state recorded 273 Covid-19 cases in May. The largest count was in Kottayam with 82 cases, next Thiruvananthapuram had 73, Ernakulam recorded 49, Pathanamthitta 30, and Thrissur had 26, she noted.

On Friday, Haryana announced four new covid cases, described as mild, and the affected individuals have been placed under home observation with medical oversight. Health minister Arti Singh Rao guaranteed that there is no reason to panic and stated that the state government is watching the situation carefully.

On May 19, specialists from the National Centre for Disease Control, Emergency Medical Relief division, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research, and central government hospitals conducted a review meeting led by the director general of health services to discuss the recent rise in Covid-19 cases.