The Centre has asked State governments to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures amid a spike in pneumonia cases in China. It said it was monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country and stressed there was no cause for any alarm at the moment.The Union Health Secretary has written a letter to the states and Union Territories (UTs), directing them to take measures to ramp up medical infrastructure such as hospital beds, drugs and vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, infection control practices in health facilities, at a senior level, a release from the Union Health Ministry read. All states and UTs have been advised to implement ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of Covid- 19’, shared earlier this year, which provides for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens presenting as cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI).The Centre has asked State governments to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures amid a spike in pneumonia cases in China. It said it was monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country and stressed there was no cause for any alarm at the moment.The Union Health Secretary has written a letter to the states and Union Territories (UTs), directing them to take measures to ramp up medical infrastructure such as hospital beds, drugs and vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, infection control practices in health facilities, at a senior level, a release from the Union Health Ministry read. All states and UTs have been advised to implement ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of Covid- 19’, shared earlier this year, which provides for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens presenting as cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI).