Delhi has seen a recent jump in Covid-19 cases. As a result, the government issued an advisory to hospitals across the city. They must ensure that beds, oxygen, essential medicines, and vaccines are ready for use.
According to Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh, the city reported 23 Covid cases as of Thursday. He said officials are checking whether these patients live in Delhi or had traveled recently.
He assured the public that all infected individuals are in stable condition. “We have already held meetings with hospital authorities, and we are ready to deal with any kind of situation. The government has constituted a team of eight senior officers to monitor the situation,” Singh told reporters.
Meanwhile, Delhi isn’t the only region reporting new cases. Covid infections have emerged in multiple states. These include Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
According to the Union Health Ministry, India recorded 257 Covid cases by Wednesday. However, officials said that most cases were mild and showed no signs of severe illness or death.
This rise in cases in India comes as parts of Asia—especially Singapore and Hong Kong—are also seeing similar trends. Both are major business hubs on the continent.
Singapore’s health ministry explained the surge could be linked to falling immunity levels. However, they found no evidence that the current variants are more dangerous or contagious than before. “While the increase in cases could be due to factors including waning population immunity, there is no indication that the circulating variants are more transmissible – or cause more severe cases – than during the pandemic,” they said.
What’s Driving the Increase?
Experts believe the spike is due to a new sub-variant of Omicron, called JN.1. This variant and its descendants—LF.7 and NB.1.8—are spreading quickly. Singapore health officials confirmed this rise.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also pointed out that the JN.1 variant has nearly 30 mutations. LF.7 and NB.1.8 are now the most common versions seen in recent cases.
Despite these developments, Indian health officials continue to monitor the situation closely. They have promised quick action to protect public health. “Nearly all the cases in India currently are mild, and do not require hospitalisation. Hospitals have been advised to closely monitor influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections,” a Union Health Ministry official told The Hindu.
Delhi’s Hospital Guidelines
The Delhi government has issued an advisory to both public and private hospitals. It asked medical directors, superintendents, and administrators to check that all key equipment is working. This includes ventilators, Bi-PAP machines, and oxygen concentrators.
Hospitals must also send all positive Covid samples to Lok Nayak Hospital for genome sequencing. This will help quickly detect any new variants. The advisory said hospitals must report how many samples they send for whole genome sequencing (WGS) to the State Surveillance Unit. Lastly, the Delhi government directed all health facilities to update their data daily on the Delhi state health management portal.
