Bhubaneswar: Amid the spiralling COVID-19 cases, the Centre has advised the states and UTs to keep a watch on the active caseload, besides hospitalisation, including patients requiring oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilation support, and home isolations.
In a letter, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Monday attributed the latest resurgence in cases to the ‘variant of concern’ (VoC) Omicron and the continued presence of the other strain Delta.
He said that 5-10% of active cases have so far been hospitalised during the present surge while it was in the range of 20-23% during the second wave.
Bhushan, however, warned that the situation is dynamic and evolving, and the need for hospitalisation may change rapidly.
The ministry said that the requirement of healthcare workers and their availability should be reviewed on a daily basis. It stressed the need to conserve healthcare workers by working out at a staggering mode of work as both infrastructure and human resources have their limitations.
