Howrah (West Bengal) [India], June 9 : Amid rising COVID cases, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with senior officials of every department and adviced citizens to remain cautious and not to get panicked. She said that all facilities were available in government hospitals.
CM Mamata Banerjee said, "We are hoping that the pandemic won't be repeated. We have conducted a meeting today with senior officials of every department, including Panchayat, Urban, Municipalities, DME, DHS, Health Department, MSME, Police Department, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and Kolkata Corporation. We have to be careful. There is no need to panic. We have to be prepared. Those who have comorbidities should consult the doctor. Government is always standing with them. Try to get treatment in a government hospital. It will not cost much. All the facilities are available in the government hospital. Now, the anti-COVID-19 vaccine is available. Everyone is vaccinated. We did the meeting to be cautious in future."
She further said that the situation is not severe at this point.
"There are 4 to 5 thousand cases in the country. This is a kind of influenza," she added.
Another health expert present said that this was a subvariant of the omicron virus, and this was not a variant of concern. "It was like a normal cough and cold and the wave would be over soon," he said.
According to the Union Health Ministry's data, 59 deaths have been reported since January 1, 2025. States have been instructed to ensure oxygen availability, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines.
Given the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in India, a series of technical review meetings were held on June 2 and 3 with various representatives under the chairpersonship of Dr Sunita Sharma, Director General of Health Services (DGHS).
According to an official statement, the representatives include Disaster Management Cell, Emergency Management Response (EMR) Cell, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and Central Government Hospitals in Delhi and with representatives from all States and UTs to evaluate the current COVID-19 situation and preparedness measures.