Amid surge in Covid-19 cases in Delhi with as many as 300 new cases and two deaths registered in Delhi on Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will chair a meeting on Friday to review the situation even as the government said it is "on alert".
Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said: "We are on alert, Covid-19 situation in Delhi being closely monitored." Bhardwaj chaired an emergency meeting on Thursday, where Special Secretary, Health, the Director General of Health Services, nodal officer for oxygen and testing, and Medical Directors of several hospitals including Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) were present.
However, talking to the media about the increasing cases, the minister said that the Delhi government has not discussed any restrictions so far.
As many as 300 new cases of Covid-19 and two deaths were registered in Delhi on Wednesday. According to the bulletin issued by the Health Department, there are currently 806 active cases in the capital and the infection rate is 13.89 per cent.
UP on High Alert
The state government in Uttar Pradesh has put all frontline workers and government and private hospitals on 'alert mode' in view of rising Covid cases. The government has directed that all positive samples should be sent for genome sequencing.
According to an official release, instructions have been given to ensure availability of logistics, medicines, PPE (personal protective equipment) kits, gloves, masks and equipment, oxygen plant and concentrator in hospitals.
The respective district administrations have been asked to ensure that dedicated hospitals and wards are activated immediately. Directives have also been given for sampling/testing at places where Covid cases are reported.
The samples will then be sent for genome sequencing to King George's Medical University in Lucknow.
"Instructions have been given to strictly monitor the cases of respiratory tract infection, influenza like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) in all the districts," said a press release from the state government.
Seven districts report sudden surge
Currently, the districts with the maximum caseload are Gautam Buddha Nagar (57), Ghaziabad (55), Lakhimpur Kheri (44), Lucknow (27), Bijnor (12), Lalitpur (9) and Saharanpur (8). Officials have been directed to carefully monitor these districts.
Directions have also been issued for increasing testing and treatment in the affected districts and taking special precautions in districts that were most affected in the previous Covid waves.
Dr Abhishek Shukla, Secretary General, Association of International Doctors, said, "The districts that were the most affected during past Covid waves were the ones having a major floating population. As travellers can be infection spreaders, hence monitoring such districts will help control the infection spread."
The state will begin a communicable disease control campaign from April 1 that will continue till the month-end.
The Dastak campaign will run between April 17 and 30. Under this, arrangements will be made for cleanliness and waterlogging disposal in rural and urban areas. Intensive vector, mosquito control activities will be carried out in high-risk areas with inter-departmental cooperation. Awareness activities will also be organised in schools for the prevention of diseases.
Gurugram reports surge in cases
A rapid increase in new Covid cases has been recorded in Haryana's Gurugram district. The district on March 26 recorded 39 Covid cases, 46 cases were reported on March 27, 57 on March 28, and on Wednesday (March 29) the numbers stood at 75.
In the last 13 days, a total of 358 new cases have been reported. The number of active patients was 243 (as of Wednesday), out of which 239 are in home isolation. The Covid numbers are released by the administration in the evening.
The Covid-19 tally in Gurugram has now risen to 3,01,734, according to the official daily health bulletin. A total of 3,00,460 have been cured and discharged since the outbreak of pandemic in 2020.
"It has been observed that people can be safe if they follow the necessary guidelines of the health department," a health official said. Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Virender Yadav said that efforts are being made by the district administration to prevent the spread of the corona infection.
The Covid positivity rate in Gurugram is 3.67 per cent.
Symptoms persist
"In the last few months, we have had several patients who suffered from Covid-like symptoms, such as high fever, dry cough, and sore throat. These symptoms usually persisted for less than a week, with their intensity peaking for 1 or 2 days before subsiding. While these symptoms may look similar to those exhibited by Covid patients, however, these are the symptoms of illnesses caused by influenza," Dr Arunesh Kumar, Senior Consultant and Head of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Paras Hospital, Gurugram said.
"Moreover, to avoid extreme exposure to seasonal infections, it is advisable to follow basic hygiene precautions and preventive measures. Accurate information and timely diagnosis remain our most effective medical panacea," he said.
(With inputs from IANS)
