Delhi hospitals to conduct mock drills to check Covid readiness

The Centre issued an advisory to this effect on Monday amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases in some countries.

PTI

December 27, 2022 / 09:25 IST

COVID-19 representative image.

Hospitals across Delhi will conduct mock drills on Tuesday to assess their preparedness, including availability of beds and manpower, to deal with any increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The Centre issued an advisory to this effect on Monday amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases in some countries.

In the national capital, the drill will take place at Delhi government-run facilities like LNJP Hospital and private hospitals.

Following the Centre's directions, a mock drill will be held in all hospitals on Tuesday to check their readiness for Covid management, said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the health portfolio.

Any gaps would be addressed immediately by the health department officials, he said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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