Covid mock drill today: Centre to conduct nationwide exercise to check hospital readiness as cases breach 4,000-mark

COVID cases rise in India, with Kerala remaining the most affected state

Covid mock drill today: The Centre will conduct nationwide Covid mock drill today. As per a report by CNN-News18, the Union Ministry of Health will check the readiness of hospitals across states. The development comes as India registers a steady increase in Covid-19 cases. As per the latest official data, India has seen over 4,000 active coronavirus infections.

As part of the mock drill, the officials will check the arrangements regarding oxygen supply, status of essential medicines and evaluate availability of ventilators across major hospitals in the country. The drill will evaluate the level of preparedness by the hospitals in case the country sees new wave of coronavirus infections. The CNN-News18 report further said that the Centre decided to conduct a mock drill after Director General of Health Services Dr Sunita Sharma held several meetings to assess the recent surge in Covid-19 infections.

The CNN-News18 report further added that a preliminary mock drill was previously carried out on June 2. Ste hospitals were evaluated for availability of key healthcare infrastructure. The preliminary mock drill focused on Liquid Medical Oxygen tanks, Pressure Swing Adsorption plants and Medical Gas Pipeline Systems. So far, India has seen seven Covid-linked deaths. Officials have also confirmed the presence of two different strains of the virus.