K'taka government to conduct mock drills in hospitals after COVID surge in Kerala
Bengaluru: "Today we had a meeting with the officials where directions were issued to purchase testing kits through Karnataka Medical Supplies Corporation. We have asked officials to procure test kits, which includes RT-PCR tests, Rapid Antigen Test and VTM (Viral Transport Medium)," Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters here after a meeting with the officials of the Health department.
Officials have also been instructed to conduct mock drills in all the hospitals to check how many beds including ICU beds, oxygen availability and medicines, he added.
"I have told the officials to be prepared. Though the situation is not like that (alarming) and we should not think in that manner, we should be prepared in case the (COVID like) situation recurs. In the event of any shortcoming, it should be rectified now itself," Rao said.
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The Minister said he has convened a meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on COVID on Tuesday. The TAC is headed by Dr K Ravi, who is the head of the department of medicine in Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI).
"We should be prepared and not allow a disaster to happen. We were not prepared in the past but after having experienced it we should gear up now itself," Rao said.
This time only those showing symptoms of COVID will be tested and not everyone, the minister said.
He underlined the need to study how the virus and its sub-variants are behaving.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
