Delhi govt reviewing COVID preparedness of health infrastructure, says AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj amid new surge

New Delhi [India], December 20 : Amid the surge in COVID cases in several parts of the country, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday said that the city government is reviewing the COVID preparedness of the public health infrastructure in the national capital.
"We have to be cautious but not create panic," Saurabh Bharadwaj told ANI reacting to the reports of a new COVID variant detected in the country.
"We held meetings with virologists, pulmonologists and community health experts in Delhi two weeks back. We had told them to increase genome sequencing so that if the variant is detected in Delhi, we become alert. We are also reviewing our COVID preparedness, " he added.
He said that cases of a new variant of the Omicron virus are increasing across the world.
"Cases have been identified in southern states in India too. One of the reasons could be that more testing is done in those states and there is more awareness there. Central Government has told all states to create more awareness," the Minister said.
Earlier in the day, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul asked fellow citizens not to panic about the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 and assured them that the Centre was taking the necessary precautions to combat the new variant.
Speaking to the media, Dr VK Paul claimed that the new variant does not cause serious illness and the 16 deaths that have been reported in the last week were people with serious comorbidities.
"We must remember that COVID-19 has not gone till now, and the people need to be a little vigilant. The government needs to be prepared for everything and hence, the government is continuously focusing on the sequencing and surveillance work," he added.
"Centre has requested all states to increase the tests and make the citizens aware of the protocols. There is no need to panic because we all have been vaccinated," Paul said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the state health ministry has had a conversation with the Union Health Ministry over the rising number of cases and the state has been advised to maintain essential health services.
"This variant has been here for around four months now and there is no need to panic. Karnataka is the highest right now in the whole country in the number of tests," Gundu Rao said.
He further stated that there would be no restrictions in the state.
Earlier on Wednesday, amid rising COVID-19 cases in five states--Kerala, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka--Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting with top officials and chief health secretaries.
"There should be no laxity in our preparedness. There is no room for politics when it comes to public health. The Union Health Ministry is available for every support," he said.
Mandaviya assured full central support to the states affected by the recent upsurge in COVID cases, saying they were working with a 'whole of government' approach. He suggested that healthcare officials in the affected states conduct mock drills in hospitals every three months to ensure preparedness to tackle the upsurge in COVID cases.
"We need to be on alert but there is no need to panic. It is important to hold mock drills to ensure the preparedness of hospitals, increased surveillance and effective communication with people. We should hold mock drills in all hospitals once every three months. I assure the support of the Centre to all the states," he added.
The Union Health Minister also urged states to ensure that preventive measures are taken amid the prevailing cold ahead of the year-end festivities.
The total number of COVID cases reported nationwide till 8 am on Wednesday was 341, of which Kerala alone accounted for 292, Delhi and Gujarat reported 3 each, Karnataka logged 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry 4 each, Tamil Nadu 13 and Maharashtra 11, according to data by the Union Health Ministry.
The total number of active COVID cases in the country is currently at 2,311, with the total number of fatalities reported since the arrival of the pandemic in India at 5,33,321, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.