The first case of the JN.1 sub-variant of the Covid-19 virus has been discovered in Delhi but health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj says there is no need to panic.
Listing the steps being taken by the government, Bharadwaj shared with News18 that people with co-morbidities should be careful and avoid crowded places.
Edited Excerpts:
While you said the JN.1 case has been discharged, there has been a surge in cases. How serious do you think the matter is?
There will be a surge in cases eventually across India. Some states may report it, some states may not report it. More or less, the immunity pattern in India is similar.
It [Covid-19] is being reported from southern India. The trend is that it usually travels to Mumbai, then the rest of Maharashtra and Delhi. We had our first confirmed case of JN.1, which is basically a sub-variant of Omicron, on Wednesday. It is a mild disease. You don’t need to panic.
The first patient was in panic because it was a new variant. She got herself admitted to the hospital. Her SpO2 levels were good. She had mild sickness. She got discharged and is fine now.
This inspires confidence among Delhiites. So, I don’t think you need to panic. But yes, you have to be careful. Someone with low immunity, co-morbidities should avoid crowded places. You should basically take care more of yourself.
Are we going to see more testing in Delhi or more surveillance? Would you consider making wearing masks mandatory?
We are calling experts again. We are going to take decisions on the advice of experts. I don’t think there will be a situation when we need a lot of man-to-man marking and surveillance. I think this is a very mild sub-variant. But yes, we are prepared. We are prepared for other situations as well.
Do you see social distancing norms also back in place?
We are basically working on the advice of the central government and as soon as there are directions on this, we will take those steps.
You said that Delhi government is prepared. What preparations has the Delhi government made?
We have already done mock drills about the preparedness of Covid-19 in our hospitals. We know the oxygen availability, bed availability, medicine availability, and standard operating procedures to be followed in case a serious patient enters hospital. Due diligence has been done.
Changing track, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been named in the ED chargesheet and this is a first. She has not yet been named as an accused. But the fact that her name finds a mention actually marks a sort of ‘diligence’ within the ED. How would you respond?
I think it has nothing to do with the ED or CBI. This is the Union government. I think the Centre has made a mockery of institutions. It is so easy. Look, political people meet thousands of people. Every day, I meet hundreds of people. So you have to pick up someone randomly, put him under PMLA. Once he is inside jail, you can pressure him to take any name to get out of prison. You just have to show a common location — that these two people were within the same mobile tower at one instance of time — which is so easy. You can make a story out of it. So, today you can prosecute, chargesheet anyone in the country in any case. It has become so easy.
So, you think there is no merit in the case?
I don’t know. I have not seen the case. But this is the modus operandi. This is the trend of the times. So I don’t think I need to waste time in understanding the story also. I know the basic story of the central government.
Yesterday, Congress held a meeting with its Delhi and Punjab leaders on seat sharing. How much space is AAP willing to give to the Congress?
I have no idea about it. I have no idea.
Delhi tableau has again not been accepted in the Republic Day Parade. This is the second time that Delhi has been rejected along with Punjab.
I think this is expected from the Union government. This is what we expect.
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