Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Active corona cases tally in Madhya Pradesh has climbed to 21 on Tuesday, according to the ministry of health and family welfare. Three new positive cases have been reported in the past 24 hours.
Amid the resurgence of COVID, the state government has ramped up precautionary measures to curb its spread. Hospitals across the state are on high alert, with preparations including reviews of bed availability and stocking of oxygen cylinders and other emergency supplies.
In wake of the rising Covid cases, a mock drill was conducted on Sunday to test the operational readiness of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants installed in government health institutions across Bhopal. The oxygen purity was also checked during the drill. Hospitals have been directed to ensure sufficient beds, oxygen, medications. AIIMS already has a dedicated 20-bed ward for Covid patients with required facilities including a ventilator.
CMHO Dr Prabhakar Tiwari said, “Health infrastructure built during the previous Coronavirus pandemic, including oxygen generation plants and ICU beds, has been reviewed and reinforced as part of contingency planning.”
The CMHO further said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has confirmed that although the new strain spreads rapidly and is highly mutable, it causes mild illness. Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, headache, body aches, runny nose, and loss of appetite - similar to seasonal flu, he elaborated, saying “people should be cautious and need not have to panic.”