Bed occupancy under 3% in major cities even as Covid cases top 37,000

Masks make a comeback in several states and cities, over 33,000 govt and private health facilities join mock drills

As the two-day mock drill to check the preparedness for Covid-19 concluded on Tuesday, data showed that less than 3 per cent hospital beds in major cities were occupied by those infected by the virus. This coincided with active Covid-19 cases crossing 37,000.        

In the past 24 hours itself, India reported 5,676 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the daily positivity rate to 2.88 per cent. Despite the steady rise in cases, only 358 Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in the past 24 hours.

The Union Health Ministry called the mock-drill “a massive countrywide exercise in India’s fight against