No need to panic: Delhi government assesses city’s Covid preparedness amid surge in cases

NITI Aayog Member Dr. VK Paul asked fellow citizens not to panic over the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 and assured them that the Center was taking necessary precautions to combat the new variant.

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New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday said the city government is assessing the COVID preparedness of public health infrastructure in the national capital. This comes after several parts of the country reported a rise in cases. “We have to be careful but not create panic,” Saurabh Bharadwaj told ANI in response to reports of a new COVID variant detected in the country.

“Two weeks ago we met with virologists, pulmonologists and community health experts in Delhi. We had told them to increase genome sequencing so that if the variant is detected in Delhi, we would be alert. We are also assessing our COVID preparedness,” he added.

He said cases of a new variant of the Omicron virus are increasing around the world.

“Cases have also been identified in the southern states of India. One of the reasons could be that there is more testing and awareness in those states. The central government has directed all states to create more awareness,” the minister said.

No need to panic, says NITI Aayog member Dr. VK Paul

Earlier in the day, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul asked fellow citizens not to panic over the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 and assured them that the Center was taking necessary precautions to combat the new variant.

Speaking to the media, Dr. VK Paul that the new variant does not cause serious illness and that the 16 deaths reported in the past week were in people with serious comorbidities.

“We must remember that COVID-19 has not disappeared yet, and people need to be a little vigilant. The government must be prepared for anything and that is why the government is continuously focusing on the sequencing and surveillance work,” he added.

“The Center has requested all states to increase testing and sensitize citizens about the protocols. There is no need to panic because we have all been vaccinated,” Paul said.

The total number of COVID cases reported nationwide till 8 am on Wednesday was 341, of which Kerala alone stood at 292, Delhi and Gujarat 3 each, Karnataka recorded 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry 4 each, Tamil Nadu 13 and Maharashtra 11, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health.

The total number of active COVID cases in the country currently stands at 2,311, while the total number of fatalities since the arrival of the pandemic in India stands at 5,33,321, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.