New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) With the national capital breaching the 100-mark of Covid infections, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday assured people that the government is closely monitoring the cases.

Asking people not to panic, she stated that guidelines have been issued to all hospitals.

“Guidelines have been issued to all hospitals, and the government is closely monitoring the situation,” Gupta told reporters here.

She added that the state hospitals are equipped with all the facilities to tackle the cases.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi has 104 cases.

“We have analysed the scenario and there is no panic situation,” said CM Gupta.

Last week, the Delhi government issued an advisory on the Covid-19 disease, asking hospitals in the national capital to ensure the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines, and vaccines.

All health institutions have been asked to send all positive Covid-19 samples for genome sequencing to Lok Nayak Hospital.

“The hospitals must ensure preparedness in terms of availability of beds, oxygen, antibiotics, other drugs and vaccines. All equipment, such as ventilators, Bi-PAP, oxygen concentrators, and PSAs, must be in functional condition,” the advisory stated.

Health Minister Pankaj Singh also informed that the government is verifying details of the infections to determine if patients are residents of the city or have travel history.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported 1,009 cases of Covid across the country, with Kerala (430) and Maharashtra (209) reporting the highest number of cases. Seven deaths have also been reported from Maharashtra (4), Kerala (2), and Karnataka (1).

As per the latest data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 — descendants of JN.1 Covid variant in the country — are responsible for the rise in SARS-CoV-2 cases in the country.

Data from the INSACOG, a consortium of 64 laboratories to monitor genomic variations of Covid virus, showed one case of NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type.

While NB.1.8.1 was identified in April in Tamil Nadu, four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May.

Currently, both LF.7 and NB.1.8 have been classified as Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A

VUM is a term used to signal to public health authorities that a SARS-CoV-2 variant may require prioritised attention and monitoring.

–IANS

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