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With an increase in Covid cases across the country, mock drills were carried out across state-run hospitals, including in New Delhi on Monday, to check for preparedness of the health infrastructure.
Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, visited Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital in the national capital as he reviewed the mock drills and other procedures.
Similar mock drills are scheduled on April 11.
States were asked to identify emerging hotspots by monitoring trends of influenza-like illnesses and SARI cases, send sufficient samples for testing of Covid and influenza, and ramp up genome sequencing of positive samples.
Also read: Centre asks States to be on alert as Covid cases rise
“Huge response was seen nationwide, where Ministers and senior officials reviewed the preparations and capacities of hospitals and facilities,” said a statement from the Health Ministry.
Covid tally
India reported 5,880 new Coronavirus cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours. Daily positivity rate spiked to 6.91 per cent. According to Health Min data, active cases and death toll rose to 35,199 and 5,30,979, respectively. While Delhi and Himachal Pradesh reported four deaths each, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan reported one each, and Kerala reconciled two of them.
Experts have attributed the recent spike in infections to XBB1.16 sub-variant.
Haryana and Puducherry have made wearing face masks mandatory in public places. Masks are mandatory in Haryana’s schools too.
Also read: Demand for precautionary doses remains low, despite rise in Covid-19 cases
Covovax’s inclusion
Meanwhile, Serum Institute’s Covovax is likely to be approved as a heterologous booster dose for adults, said sources. Covovax is likely to be available on the CoWIN portal in a few days at ₹225 per dose (without GST).
Stocks of about 60 lakh doses of Covovax is with Serum Institute of India, as it awaits a go-ahead from the government, for use as a booster shot, according to an industry source. It will then start supplying to private hospitals.
Covovax can be administered to those who have already been vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin.
Covovax is American company Novavax’s vaccine, made by Serum Institute.
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