Prepare action plan, vision statement to face third wave, HC tells State

‘Consider conducting an audit on use of Remdesivir by hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients’

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to prepare an action plan and vision statement to face the possible third wave of COVID-19 and consider having an audit on use of Remdesivir injection by hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients. A Special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar issued the directions during the hearing of PIL petitions on issues related to COVID-19. The Bench issued the directions after noticing that there are only 45,754 oxygenated beds, 5,305 ICU beds, and 4,109 ICU with ventilator beds across the State as against the projected requirement of 66,333 oxygenated beds, 13,969 ICU beds and ICU with ventilator as per the formula prescribed by the Union government based on the active number of COVID-19 cases in the State.