Key Points

Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said on Friday, "At the moment, the situation is under control. There are, at most, sporadic cases, which are also rare. Even the present cases are being managed very easily."

"They are not being hospitalised. This is what we were expecting: that when COVID happened, it would remain a seasonal flu which could be treated very easily. The situation is not one of panic..." He further said

"We haven't seen any hospitalised or ICU Covid-19 cases in the hospital. Only hype has been created, but there is no need to panic," he said.

Additionally, Dr Dhiren Gupta, Co-Director, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sir Gangaram Hospital explained, "We have come to know that COVID is increasing, especially in Southeast Asia. But many patients are coming with body aches, nonspecific, fever, cold, so off late, we may start testing. But presently, you know that screening is being done with 257 cases testing positive. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. There must be many cases."

"I think it's been 2022 onward. We have never seen major problem in any age group, except for those less than one year old. When Omicron started, it created a little bit of a problem in babies less than one year old, not beyond that," he said.

Given the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the country, the Delhi government has issued an advisory directing all hospitals to ensure preparedness for the availability of beds, oxygen, and medicines.

According to the Office of the Health Minister of the Delhi government, the Health Department of Delhi has released a precautionary advisory stating that this was for routine surveillance and there is no cause for concern. The health department assured that they are committed to monitoring the situation.

The advisory urged all health institutions to send positive samples for genome sequencing to Lok Nayak Hospital to facilitate early detection of any new variants.

"In view of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, it is reiterated that all medical directors, medical superintendents, administrators of all government and private hospitals should ensure hospital preparedness."

It also said that all the equipment, such as ventilators, BiPAP, oxygen concentrators, psa et, etc., must be in functional condition and refresher training of dedicated staff must be conducted.The advisory said that Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in all health facilities (OPD/IPD) must be reported daily on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal.

Additionally, confirmed influenza and COVID-19 cases may also be reported on the IHIP under the L form. All parameters must be reported daily on the Delhi State Health Data Management Portal. The advisory called for adequate testing as per the COVID-19 testing guidelines and to ensure COVID-19 testing of 5 per cent ILI cases and 100 per cent SARI cases. ICMR guidelines for testing are attached.

It also asked to send all positive COVID-19 samples for Whole Genome Sequencing to LokNayak Hospital so as to enable timely detection of new variants, if any and share the number of samples sent for WGS with the State Surveillance Unit."Respiratory etiquette is being followed, including wearing a mask on hospital premises and in health facilities," it said further.

As of May 19, 2025, the number of active COVID-19 cases in India stands at 257 -- a very low figure considering the country's large population. Almost all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalisation required. The country also has a robust system for surveillance of respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the ICMR.

The Union Health Ministry remains vigilant and proactive in monitoring the situation closely, ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard public health. While COVID-19 is now considered another type of viral infection, basic precautions such as hand hygiene, masks in crowded areas and avoiding unnecessary gatherings are still encouraged, the statement said.

- ANI