New Delhi, In view of a surge in COVID-19 instances in some international locations, officers will bodily go to all authorities hospitals in Delhi and verify their preparedness to take care of any eventuality, authorities mentioned on Sunday.

In pursuance of the central authorities’s instructions, a mock drill might be performed throughout all metropolis authorities hospitals on Tuesday.

Delhi Health Secretary Amit Singla chaired a gathering with all district magistrates on Sunday morning and directed them to go to all hospitals and put together a list of beds and gear out there there, a district official mentioned.

“From Monday onwards, we are going to physically assess the situation at the government hospitals with regard to the availability of beds, oxygen cylinders, ventilators etc. These details will be available on a Delhi government portal for public viewing from Tuesday,” one other official mentioned.

The Delhi authorities’s coronavirus dashboard was final up to date on December 12. “Real-time data will be available on the portal from Tuesday,” the official quoted above mentioned.

An official from the northeast district mentioned testing is more likely to be ramped up quickly. At current round 2,500 to three,000 assessments are being performed in your entire metropolis.

“Meetings are being held with resident welfare organisations and non-government organisations.They are being asked to create awareness about the emerging situation.

“We are more likely to launch a door-to-door drive to offer booster doses to weak populations,” the official said.

A northwest district official said they are asking everyone to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour — maintaining at least two-feet distance, using masks, avoiding crowded places etc.

A southeast Delhi district official said the situation doesn’t seem alarming right now, but “we’re fully ready”.

“We are additionally going to collate mattress availability knowledge at non-public hospitals which had performed a key position in dealing with the scenario throughout earlier Covid waves,” he mentioned.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had mentioned the brand new Omicron sub-variant BF.7 of the coronavirus that is causing a surge in cases in some countries has not been detected in Delhi so far and that his government is fully geared up to tackle any eventuality.

Instructions have been issued to send all positive cases for genome sequencing, increase precaution dose coverage and manpower in hospitals.

Kejriwal had also directed officials to take prior approval for procurement of essential items needed and inspect machines in all hospitals.

The chief minister had asserted that they are self-sufficient in terms of oxygen availability and storage.

During the second Covid wave last year, Delhi had grappled with oxygen shortage with hospitals sending out SOS messages over depleting supplies over social media.

However, experts say BF.7 should not worry India too much as a lot of people have developed immunity against the virus, either through vaccination or previous infection, unlike China where people have low immunity against Covid due to tough restrictions.

“The authorities is proactive and its instructions are scientific. One must be cautious contemplating the spurt in instances in a number of international locations however any new variant of Omicron is unlikely to trigger any huge hassle in India,” Dr Jugal Kishore, the head of the community medicine department at Safdarjung Hospital, said.

India saw a massive third wave earlier this year and it, in a way, worked as a booster dose for a large number of people, the senior doctor said.

Delhi has recorded 20,07,143 Covid cases and 26,521 deaths since the pandemic started in early 2020.

The number of daily cases has remained below 20 and the porivity rate below 1 percent since mid-November.

The Centre had Saturday asked states to conduct a mock drill on December 27 to ensure readiness of health facilities including medical oxygen generation plants.

From Saturday, random coronavirus testing of international passengers started at airports including those in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore and Goa under new guidelines that require testing of two per cent of the passengers arriving in each international flight.

With the ordeal faced by the country during the second COVID-19 wave in April 2021 still fresh in the minds, the Centre also told states and union territories that oxygen control rooms should be reinvigorated for prompt resolutions of oxygen-related issues and challenges.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Saturday said RT-PCR test would be made mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand and that passengers arriving in India from these countries will be quarantined if found COVID-19 positive or with fever. PTI GVS CK