Coronavirus Live Updates: Centre asks states to ensure availability of oxygen, functional ventilators

Covid news live updates: With some countries witnessing a surge in Covid cases, the Centre on Saturday urged states and union territories to ensure the availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen, adequate inventory of cylinders and functional life support equipment such as ventilators at hospitals to face any challenge. Meanwhile, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said RT-PCR test for the detection of Covid-19 would be made mandatory for international passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya said. Stay with TOI for the latest developments

05:51 (IST) Dec 23

Kejriwal allays fears, says govt ready if Covid-19 strikes again

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases globally and concern about another possible wave in India, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday chaired a review meeting of all health officers and said Delhi government was fully prepared to tackle any spread. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the government will run a special drive to give precautionary doses to all those who haven’t taken it yet and also conduct mandatory RT-PCR tests on all SARS cases reported in the city.

05:51 (IST) Dec 23

‘Deadly XBB’ message fake, misleading: Govt

The health ministry on Thursday said a message being circulated on some WhatsApp groups about the XBB variant is “fake and misleading”. The message claimed that the “new variant” is different, deadly and not easy to detect. The fact is that XBB is not new. It has been detected in several parts of the country recently and is not causing severe symptoms.

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05:50 (IST) Dec 23

From O2 to staff, keep Covid infra ready, PM tells states

PM Modi on Thursday advised states to audit Covid-specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, oxygen generation plants, ventilators and staff following a highlevel stock-taking meeting. Modi, who was seen wearing a mask in Parliament on Thursday, urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour at all times, especially in view of the upcoming festiveseason, including masking up in crowded places. The meeting was attended by home minister Amit Shah, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindiaand external affairs minister S Jaishankar among others.

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