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Centre to hold nationwide Covid mock drill on June 5 for hospital checks
The Centre has planned to conduct facility-level mock drills to assess hospital preparedness on June 5, according to official sources in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
This follows a series of technical review meetings chaired by Sunita Sharma, director general of health services (DGHS), earlier this week in view of the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in India.
States have also been instructed to ensure the availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines. Sources added that a mock drill assessing oxygen supply systems such as PSA plants, LMO tanks, and MGPS lines was conducted on June 2, 2025.
As of June 4, India reported 4,302 active Covid-19 cases, with an increase of 862 cases in the past 24 hours. Kerala topped the list with 1,373 cases, followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat with 510 and 461 cases, respectively.
The country also recorded seven deaths on Tuesday, including four from Maharashtra and one each from Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.
Since January 1 this year, 44 deaths have been reported in India, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses such as pneumonia, coronary diseases, and tuberculosis (TB).
The review meeting was also attended by representatives of the Union Health Ministry's disaster management cell, emergency management response (EMR) cell, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
Central government hospitals in Delhi and representatives from all states and union territories (UTs) also participated in the meeting to evaluate the current Covid-19 situation and preparedness measures.
State and district surveillance units under the IDSP are closely monitoring influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), with testing recommended for all admitted SARI cases and 5 per cent of ILI cases, according to guidelines.
'Positive SARI samples are sent for whole genome sequencing through the ICMR VRDL network,' an official in the know said.
He added that the ministry continues to closely monitor the situation and remains committed to ensuring public health safety through timely interventions and effective communication.
'The public is also advised to practise hand hygiene and cough etiquette, while individuals with acute respiratory illness should self-monitor and seek medical care if symptoms worsen,' he said.
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