Covid threat: States asked to conduct 'mock drills' from Dec 27 - 10 points

The central government has stepped up measures against the latest Covid-19 threat after a massive spurt in cases was reported in China and some other countries. Read more for top 10 updates in this big story.

Hyderabad: Amid the COVID threat posed by the rising case in China and other countries, the central government has stepped up measures with the Health Ministry asking all states to begin mock drills from coming Tuesday. India recorded 227 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,424, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.

Here are the top 10 updates in this big story:

1. The Health Ministry has urged the states to hold mock drills at health facilities. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to all states and union territories to conduct mock drills from Tuesday. The officials have been asked to visit hospitals to check the availability of beds, human resources, logistics, and the supply chain of medical oxygen among other things.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to be vigilant and take precautions against COVID-19, as he noted that the virus is spreading in many countries. In his last 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast of the year on Sunday morning, he urged the people to follow protocols like wearing masks and washing hands to ensure safety.
3. India recorded 227 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, taking the total tally to 3,424, according to the latest data released by Union Health Ministry. The death toll stands at 5,30,693 with two fatalities -- one reconciled by Kerala and one death reported in Maharashtra in the last 24 hours. The active cases comprise 0.01 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 percent.
4. According to the ministry's website, 220.05 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
5. Delhi Health Secretary Amit Singla chaired a meeting with all district magistrates on Sunday morning and directed them to visit all hospitals and prepare an inventory of beds and equipment available there. A southeast Delhi district official said the situation doesn't seem alarming right now, but "we are completely prepared".
6. The Karnataka government on Monday is likely to decide on preventive measures and guidelines to be followed in the days ahead, including for the New Year celebrations. The state may decide on the guidelines at a meeting headed by the Health and Disaster Management Ministers, along with technical experts
7. Union Health Min Dr. Mandaviya on Saturday said that the Air Suvidha portal will be implemented for passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. This is to monitor and control the spread of the highly contagious B7 variant emerging rapidly in the said countries.
8. With the situation in China raising alarms across the world, China's National Health Commission -- which used to issue the country's COVID-19 case figures on a daily basis -- stopped publishing the update on Sunday, as reported by The Global Times.
9. China is also experiencing a severe strain on hospitals due to the absence of facilities amid a rising number of cases in Beijing and other major Chinese cities, reported NHK World. Millions of people in China have been affected by Covid-19 since the 'zero-covid policy' was diluted on December 7.
10. India's COVID-19 tally crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year. On Sunday, the total Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore, with precisely 4,46,77,106 people affected by the deadly virus so far since it first resurfaced with a heavy wave in March 2020.