Nagpur: Maharashtra Minister for Medical Education Hasan Mushrif on Thursday took stock of the readiness of medical machinery in the backdrop of emergence of JN.1 the new variant of COVID-19, and asked the doctors to be ready for any health emergency in the State.
Asking the health machinery to have enough stock of medicines and beds, the Minister appealed to them to keep the testing kits in readiness. Mushrif held a meeting at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur after cases of new variants were found in Kerala.
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Monday 02 March 2025
Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Secretary, Medical Education; Raju Nivatkar, Commissioner; Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, Director, Medical Education; Dr Vivek Pakhmode, Joint Director; and Dr Raju Gajbhiye, Dean, GMCH, were present. Deans of other Medical Colleges and Hospitals joined through video conferencing.
Mushrif appealed to citizens to take enough precautions and this way new variant JN.1 can be kept at bay and people need not be frightened unnecessarily. In the past too, all the people in society have worked together and overcome tough challenges when COVID19 emerged on the scene. The Minister stated that the new variant is quite strong as within a week the number of cases that were 3.3 percent across the world has risen to 27. 1 percent. In France the number of cases have increased to 20.1 percent, USA-14.2, Singapore-12.4, Canada-6.8, UK-5.8, Sweden-5.
As to the situation in India, by December19,the number of positive patients of the new variant were 2,311.Of them Kerala alone registered 2,041 cases while Maharashtra has, so far, reported 11 patients. Just like the previous era, this time too for fighting against COVID-19 variants, the triple formula needs to be adopted by citizens and also following the laid down protocol from time to time, he added.
Mushrif directed the Deans to keep the RT-PCR machines in readiness for starting mass testing as and when needed and enough kits should be kept in stock. Also the PSA oxygen plants at the medical hospitals should be looked into and if some repairs are needed then the same be carried out immediately. Also side by side jumbo oxygen cylinders should also be readied. Similarly, at individual level, masks should be preferably used and cleanliness in public places and from time to time washing of hands and maintaining safe distance should be adhered to, he said.
