K’taka plans Covid mock drills as cases surge in Kerala

Bengaluru: In response to escalating Covid-19 cases in the state of Kerala, the Karnataka government has decided to conduct mock drills at hospitals — to evaluate bed capacity, ICU availability, oxygen, and medicine stocks — as part of preparedness in the event the pandemic returns in the state.
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said Saturday that he has convened a meeting of the Covid-19 technical advisory committee (TAC) Tuesday.On Saturday, a meeting was held with health department officials wherein directions were issued to purchase testing kits through the Karnataka Medical Supplies Corporation.
Rao said the TAC meeting is to strategise and ensure robust response to any potential resurgence. He stressed the significance of learning from past experiences and staying vigilant against the virus and its sub-variants.
As per a statement from the health department, Karnataka has 58 active cases — 47 in home isolation and 11 hospitalised (five in ward & six in ICU). tnn