Centre’s fresh advisory to states: Focus on oxygen cylinders, ventilators 

As coronavirus cases have started increasing with a record high of 37 million in a single day in China, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has come up with a new six-point Covid advisory to the states.  

The Centre issued the Covid guidelines to the states in order to prepare them for any future challenges. “Even though the Covid cases in the country are low and not surging as of now, but to face any challenges arising in future, the operations and maintenance of these medical infrastructures is of utmost importance,” the advisory read.  

All visitors from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand will be required to show a negative Covid certificate, said Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. 

According to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, travellers from those nations who exhibit symptoms or test positive will be quarantined.   

The health ministry requested the states to make sure that PSA plants are kept fully operational and that regular mock drills are carried out to check them.  

The health ministry instructed the states to ensure both the availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in the healthcare facilities and a continuous supply chain for their refilling. 

The other guidelines made by the Centre to the states include the need for ensuring sufficient supply of oxygen cylinders, as well as backup supplies and a reliable refilling system. Also, there needs to be accessibility to functional life support tools like ventilators, BipAp, and SpO2 systems along with other consumables. 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also asked the states to make sure that oxygen control rooms should be reenergized at the state and local levels for prompt resolution of oxygen-related issues and challenges. Additionally, the states were asked to make sure that all healthcare facilities using oxygen were on-boarded to the oDAS platform for daily oxygen demand and consumption to be monitored for implementation. 

Government officials have instructed airport staff to begin random Covid testing of 2 per cent of all international travellers today.