DRDO Covid hospital to restart in Varanasi as cases rise

Varanasi: With a sharp rise in the Covid cases in Varanasi and neighbouring districts in the past few days, officials have contacted the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to restart its temporary Covid hospital in the city.

Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, "The Covid-19 situation is still under control and there is no need for panic. But, as the figures of Covid-19 cases have started increasing in Varanasi and surrounding districts, we have intensified the efforts for reviving all arrangements which had helped in tackling the second wave."

He said, "The DRDO officials have also been contacted to operationalise the temporary Covid hospital with ICU facilities at the amphitheatre of Banaras Hindu University as a precautionary measure. The DRDO's team will be in the city by Tuesday."

The 500-bed DRDO temporary hospital -- which was named Pandit Rajan Mishra Covid Hospital -- was started for Covid patients at the amphitheatre ground in May 2021 to meet the increased demand of the requirement of the ICU beds as many critical Covid-19 patients needed level-2 and level-3 facilities. The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) specialists, doctors, nursing and other medical staff, had been moved from across the country on a war footing to run the hospital in coordination with BHU and the civil administration.

This facility of DRDO was closed after June 16, 2021, after the requirement of level-3 facilities decreased.

The commissioner further said, "The Covid-19 vaccine first dose coverage in Varanasi district is 95 per cent while the average of four districts in the division is 80 per cent. Now, focus is on mobilising people, who have taken first dose, to get their second dose also."