COVID-19 rise: Centre urges states, UTs to ensure oxygen, medicines, isolation beds

By: Jahangeer Ganaie

New Delhi: In view of rising COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry has directed all states and Union Territories to ensure the availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators and essential medicines.

The instruction follows high-level review meetings held on June 2–3, chaired by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Sunita Sharma, and attended by representatives from NCDC, ICMR, IDSP, EMR and central hospitals.

Officials, as per the details obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said state and district surveillance units are closely tracking Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases.

Testing is advised for all SARI patients and 5% of ILI cases. Positive samples are being sent for genome sequencing.

India currently has 4,302 active COVID-19 cases, with 864 reported in the last 24 hours. Most infections are mild and under home care. Since January, 44 deaths have been reported, mainly among people with comorbidities.

Mock drills assessing oxygen systems were held on June 2, with facility-level drills planned this week to evaluate readiness.

People have been urged to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour like hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and avoiding crowded places when sick.

The ministry warned against misinformation, urging reliance on official sources like the Health Ministry and PIB.

The government affirmed it is continuously monitoring the situation and is committed to a timely and effective public health response

A senior health officer informed KNO that there are nine active cases of COVID-19 in J&K, as three patients have recovered.

“The situation remains under control, and there is no immediate cause for alarm. However, people need to be vigilant and take precautions,” he said, adding, “We are strictly following the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The UT is fully prepared to respond to any potential rise in infections.”

The officer added that these measures are part of a broader national strategy aimed at staying ahead of any resurgence, especially given reports of rising COVID-19 cases in some parts of Asia.

Officials said all the positive patients as of now are stable with very mild symptoms, and there is no need for panic. They, however, urged the people to take precautions—(KNO)