COVID-19: BMC frames procedure to prevent oxygen-related emergencies

As per the procedure, chief engineers of the mechanical and electric departments will prepare a data sheet containing ward-wise details of all private COVID-19 hospitals, their oxygen suppliers and types of cylinders they have.

PTI

April 23, 2021 / 18:04 IST

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) here on Friday announced that it has fixed a procedure to prevent any emergencies due to oxygen supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BMC has asked all hospitals in the city and various departments of the civic administration to strictly follow the protocol, an official release stated.

Also Read: Zydus gets DCGI nod for emergency use of 'Virafin' in treating moderate COVID-19 cases

As per the procedure, chief engineers of the mechanical and electric departments will prepare a data sheet containing ward-wise details of all private COVID-19 hospitals, their oxygen suppliers and types of cylinders they have.

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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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