Centre asks MP to stock up on oxygen and ICU beds as Covid-19 cases rise

The Centre on Thursday advised the Madhya Pradesh government to strengthen and enhance oxygen beds and ICU beds in the face of the rising Covid-19 infection cases in the state. This came after Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla chaired a high-level meeting to review coronavirus status and public health measures taken by the state. Bhalla also focused on a five-fold strategy of “test, track, treat, vaccinate”.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said private hospitals have been asked to procure Remdesivir injections from their sources. "Yesterday, 10,000 injections had arrived which are being distributed. We have ordered the supply of 50,000 more injections," he added.

In the wake of rising cases of Covid-19, Remdesivir is in high demand as it is used especially in adult patients with severe complications.

The Madhya Pradesh government has roped in its aircraft to rush Remdesivir injections from Indore to various other districts in the state for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, an official said.

Congress MLAs on Wednesday staged a silent sit-in protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Bhopal with empty oxygen cylinders protested against the alleged poor state of health services in Madhya Pradesh.

On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh recorded 9,720 fresh coronavirus cases, the biggest single-day spike so far, pushing the infection tally to 3,63,352. The death tally rose to 4,312 with 51 more fatalities, also the highest one-day count so far.