Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav Assures Preparedness for COVID-19 Surge, ET HealthWorld

New Delhi: As COVID-19 cases witness a gradual uptick, the Union Minister of State for Health and AYUSH (Independent Charge), Prataprao Jadhav, on Friday assured that the Centre is fully prepared to handle any situation that may arise.

“Both our Central Health Department and the AYUSH Ministry are fully alert and closely monitoring the situation across all states. We have spoken with the respective Health and AYUSH Secretaries, as well as other concerned ministers,” Jadhav told ANI.

He added that the infrastructure developed during the earlier COVID-19 waves has been reviewed and that preparations are underway to deal with any eventuality.

“We’ve reviewed the infrastructure built during the earlier COVID waves, such as oxygen plants and ICU beds, and have already begun preparations. Our health systems are well-equipped and ready to handle any situation that may arise in response to COVID,” he said.

On May 28, Rajasthan reported seven new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases this year to 39, with one death, according to the state health department.

The new cases included two from AIIMS Jodhpur, two from Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur, one from Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), one from Reliable Diagnostic Centre, and one from Jaipuria Hospital, Jaipur.

Punjab also reported two active COVID-19 cases recently, one patient from Yamunanagar and another from Ambala — both currently undergoing treatment.

Earlier, on May 26, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had stated that while COVID-19 cases are being reported again from parts of the country, the circulating variants are currently showing mild symptoms similar to the Omicron strain.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Rajiv Bahl, DG, ICMR, said the government is focusing on transmission, surveillance, and preparedness, but currently circulating variants have mild symptoms like Omicron. “The government and health agencies are closely monitoring COVID-19 cases and taking necessary steps.”

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, till May 26, India has a total of 1010 COVID cases, with Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi among the regions with the most active cases.

Kerala is the worst hit of the three, having 430 active cases. Maharashtra is second, with 210 cases, and Delhi third, with 104 cases. These three regions make up the majority of the active cases, totalling upto 744 cases among the three.