Delhi govt keeps vigilant eye on new Covid-19 variant JN.1, health minister visits hospital

New Delhi: Keeping a vigilant eye on the new variant JN.1 of the coronavirus, the Delhi government is in action mode, taking all the requisite steps.
Delhi's Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj visited Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital to assess the preparedness. The hospital has reserved 20 beds for COVID patients, but there hasn't been a confirmed case in the hospital yet.
Separate help desks have been set up for COVID patients, along with a dedicated testing centre in the hospital. Immediate treatment will be given upon confirmation of COVID. Directives have been issued to maintain readiness in all Delhi government hospitals. The Delhi Health Minister is continuously monitoring the situation.
Today, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj inspected Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in Delhi. Upon arrival, the Minister assessed the preparations made for COVID patients, obtained information from the administration about all arrangements, and gave directives to maintain them. Additionally, assurance of every possible assistance from the government was also provided.
While discussing the preparations made in the hospital to tackle COVID, Delhi's Saurabh Bharadwaj informed journalists that a separate ward has been set up for COVID patients, with approximately 20 beds arranged and all necessary facilities to address issues related to the COVID disease within that ward. The entire ward was assessed by him.
The Delhi Health Minister mentioned, "Currently, the entire ward is empty as there hasn't been any confirmed case of a COVID patient in the hospital yet. However, continuous screening of patients with COVID-related symptoms is ongoing. As soon as any COVID-related patient is confirmed, they will be immediately admitted and treatment will commence. Almost all preparations in the hospital have been completed, and further preparations will be made as per the evolving situation."
The Delhi Health Minister mentioned that a separate help desk has been arranged in the hospital for patients displaying symptoms similar to COVID. This arrangement is made to ensure that COVID patients do not face any inconvenience and simultaneously, other patients coming to the hospital are not exposed to any risks.
Checking all patients in the same place significantly increases the risk of one patient transmitting COVID to another. Keeping these situations in mind, a separate help desk has been arranged for COVID patients.
Bharadwaj stated that as soon as any patient with symptoms like COVID or flu is confirmed, an RT-PCR test will immediately be conducted. For this RT-PCR test, a separate testing center has been arranged in the hospital.
"A separate testing center has been established for COVID patients so that they don't have to wait for long periods and confirmation of the illness can be obtained quickly. This allows immediate initiation of treatment if any patient is confirmed positive for COVID. Having a separate testing centre also reduces the risk of COVID spread. With this cautious approach, the hospital administration has arranged a separate testing centre for patients showing symptoms like COVID." The Minister added.
Delhi's Health Minister provided information regarding patients affected by the new variant JN.1 of COVID, stating that in Delhi, there has been confirmation of only one patient with the JN.1 variant so far. He mentioned that this patient was admitted to a nearby hospital after confirmation.
"The patient has now recovered and returned home. Although this variant is considered less dangerous than the previous ones, it's crucial not to be negligent," Bharadwaj added,
The Health Minister, during this briefing, mentioned that directives have been issued to all hospitals under the Delhi government to maintain all preparations for dealing with COVID-19.
"Although there isn't any alarming situation in Delhi at the moment, as a precautionary measure, instructions have been given to all hospitals to ensure readiness. This is to handle any emergencies more effectively in the future. We hope that there won't be any such issues, but we need to remain vigilant and cautious. In this context, directives have been given to all hospitals to maintain their preparedness and If any negligence is found in any hospital, strict action will be taken against the hospital administration," the minister stated.
Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Although there isn't any situation causing panic in Delhi presently, it doesn't mean that hospital administrations should be lax. All hospitals must remain prepared to deal with COVID."