States start mock drills, get the beds and O2 ready to take on Covid

India began random testing of international arrivals at major airports over the weekend, while states took steps for mock drills to be carried out on Tuesday to assess the country’s preparedness in view of the fresh surge of Covid-19 cases in neighbouring China and other parts of the world.

The airport tests are aimed at a 2 per cent sample of all incoming international travellers.

Genestrings Diagnostic Centre’s lab resumed tests at Delhi airport, which it had stopped after entry restrictions were lifted at the international terminal for inbound passengers.

On an average approximately 25,000 travellers arrive daily at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, of which 500 random passengers are being tested. By the end of day 1 (Saturday), Genestrings had conducted approximately 110 tests, the lab informed.

“After submitting samples for random testing, travellers will be allowed to leave the airport,” it added. Genestrings conducted over 2.5 million Covid tests in the past two years.

Sources indicated that of the 120 samples screened at Mumbai airport on Saturday, none tested positive.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday told ANI that RT-PCR testing would be mandatory for international arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. If any passenger is found to be symptomatic or tests positive upon arrival from these places, they would be quarantined, he added.

India recorded 227 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,424, according to the health ministry data updated on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the states are preparing for the mock drills planned on Tuesday to assess Covid-19 infrastructure — beds, oxygen infrastructure, ventilation units, human resources.

In Tamil Nadu, Director of Medical Education R Shanthi Malar has directed all the 36 medical colleges in the state to be on standby. The state government has said that Tamil Nadu has 72,000 beds ready and a stock of medicines and oxygen for three months to treat Covid patients. The state government has asked its hospitals to be ready with isolation beds, oxygen facilities and ventilator-supported beds in case of emergency. It has also asked doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health workers to be ready to extend their services in case of a Covid outbreak.

In Kerala, the government has asked people to follow norms and has resumed its Covid monitoring cell to keep track of hospital occupancy, and testing and mortality rates. Kerala is finalising the mock drill plans and has also decided to send more samples for genome sequencing.

Manoj Aggarwal, additional chief secretary (health) for Gujarat government, could not be reached for comment. However, state health department officials said the mock drills had already begun at government units.

“Most of the equipment is in running condition. However, wards are being prepared and patient entry is being planned and managed since the new variant demands isolation,” said an official.

According to officials, the installed pressure swing adsorption plants in Gujarat would be able to cater to more than 50 per cent requirement of medical oxygen, if such a need arises.

Maharashtra health secretary Sanjay Khandare said that only government facilities would be a part of the mock drill on Tuesday.

Following the Covid crisis in China, the Centre has asked states to hold mock drills at health facilities. In a letter to all states and Union Territories on Saturday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it was important to ensure necessary health measures were in place to tackle any emergency.

Bhushan has asked states to focus on the availability of beds, both for isolation and for life support, during the “dry run”.

There will be focus on human resources too, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy) practitioners, and frontline personnel like anganwadi workers. The drill will check whether health workers are sufficiently trained to handle patients and oxygen supplies, ventilators etc.

Meanwhile, Liladhar Ramchandani, president of the hospital nurses’ association and secretary-general of Delhi Nurses Federation, said, “No vacancy has been created. We still have the old staff and there has been no change in resources from nursing and doctors.”

Suneela Garg, public health expert and adviser to the Indian Council of Medical Research who was part of the Delhi Covid task force, said: “It is going to be the system’s assessment involving six pillars — right from who is leading the hospital to how many people are trained, how many bed sets we have got, how oxygen works, what are the logistics supply preparedness and then reporting mechanisms and all.”

“We are already on a telemedicine platform. Everything together is making the system strong,” she added.

Garg said there was enough oxygen supply for now in Delhi. “In Delhi, we have got almost 942 metric tonnes of oxygen along with 6,000 spare cylinders.”

States also are not in need of makeshift hospitals now, she said. “To give an example, in Delhi we have 8,000 beds at present, but if required we can go up to more than 30,000 beds.”

DRY RUN

• States prepare for mock drill of health facilities on Tuesday
• Oxygen supplies, PSA plants, ventilator machines would be checked to see if they are in working condition
• Assessment of human resources availability in case of a surge in cases
• Focus on enhancing testing — RT-PCR and antigen tests, availability of test kits
• Testing of international passengers begin at airports