Indian Army Fight Coronavirus: What Are They Doing To Battle The Pandemic?

Dhir Acharya - Apr 08, 2020


Indian Army Fight Coronavirus: What Are They Doing To Battle The Pandemic?

Indian Army Fight Coronavirus: Not just healthcare workers, soldiers are also those on the frontline working to protect us, limit the spread of the disease.

In the fight against the CO.VID-19 pandemic, we always think of doctors, nurses, as well as healthcare workers as those in the front line. However, the army is fighting tooth and nail to protect us from the outbreak too. While doctors mostly do their job in hospitals, soldiers go out there to limit the spread of the virus. And talking about Indian Army fight coronavirus, here’s what the armed forces of India are doing to battle the epidemic.

The pandemic has spread to India, taking lives
The pandemic has spread to India, taking lives

The CO.VID-19 pandemic is attacking the whole world, resulting in over 1.3 million infected cases along with more than 74,000 deaths. The epidemic has also spread to India and has since been growing fast. As of now, the number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 is getting closer to 5,000 while the death toll has exceeded 130.

Indian Army fight coronavirus: Opening command hospital

On Sunday, the Army said that it has opened a command hospital that will be used for testing samples taken from suspected cases. According to Maj General S C Gupta, the hospital has sufficient equipment to handle infected patients while several wards have been converted into intensive care units for COVID-19 patients.

Indian Army fight coronavirus
Indian Army fight coronavirus

About Indian Army fight coronavirus 2020, the General said that the army has always won against their enemies and the same thing will happen in the fight against the pandemic with the command hospital.

Gupta added that the Indian Army responded quickly when the civil administration requested its assistance for the government in case of unfortunate events. Accordingly, the civil administration reached out to the Army on April 1 and the Army immediately began the testing from the next day. As of April 5, there have been 68 samples tested at the command hospital.

Indian Army fight coronavirus 2020
Indian Army fight coronavirus 2020

Continue with the Indian Army fight coronavirus, he also said that ICMR has validated and approved the molecular biology laboratory of this hospital for testing for the coronavirus. Gupta revealed that the wards converted into isolation units have enough ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and multipara, along with 100 ready beds that have been turned into ICUs specifically for the disease.

Gupta also said that there is a team of specialist handling suspected cases at the hospitals, while they have been producing N95 masks, hazard suits, as well as protective equipment for healthcare workers.

Delhi quarantine camp
Indian Army fight coronavirus: Deploying medical team at Delhi quarantine camp

Indian Army fight coronavirus: Deploying medical team at Delhi quarantine camp

Another attempt at Indian Army fight COVID 19, last Friday, they deployed a medical team at the Delhi-based Narela quarantine camp that’s keeping some of the infected people from the Tablighi Jamaat event. This is also the first time the army’s deployed its service at a civil center to handle CO.VID-19 patients.

Before this, the Army’s specialists and doctors only operated at the armed force's quarantine centers to fight coronavirus.

According to defense sources, the quarantined people didn’t misbehave with the medical team of the Army after there were reports about some Tablighi Jamaat members refusing to cooperate, even harassing civil medical workers.

An Army source revealed that the deployment includes 2 doctors and 2 nurses along with a protective unit.

Frontline healthcare workers
Frontline healthcare workers

Indian Army fight coronavirus: Train forces to handle India lockdown

As the entire country is on a 21-day lockdown, the Indian Army has begun training troops on collaborating with law enforcement authorities to ensure a proper lockdown. As part of the training, the troops must know what equipment they need, what clothing to wear, as well as what precautions to take in treating and help patients and protecting themselves.

While no states have formally requested the Army to help enforce the lockdown, the troops should be ready when they’re called for.

Indian Army fight coronavirus
Indian Army fight coronavirus: Train forces to handle India lockdown

Indian Army fight coronavirus: Prepare facilities to handle infected patients

Apart from the command hospital and deploying a medical team, the Ministry of Defence has also established 6 quarantine facilities in Chennai, Manesar, Hindon, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Mumbai. Besides, the military will provide intensive care unit and high dependency unit beds in its 51 hospitals around India, including Bengaluru, Gorakhpur, Jorhat, Jaisalmer, Kanpur, Dundigal, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, and Kolkata.

Furthermore, MoD has also kept 15 additional facilities ready for use. In total, these facilities are equipped with beds for around 15,000 coronavirus patients. At the same time, General M M Naravane has offered over 8,500 doctors and staff to help fight coronavirus in India.

The Indian government, healthcare workers on the front line and soldiers are making every possible effort to limit the spread of the pandemic as well as treat infected patients. There’s no denying that Indian Army fight coronavirus is taking proactive actions against the pandemic, but we as residents need to do our parts too by taking precautions, practicing social distancing, and keeping ourselves updated with the latest news. Together we are stronger and will overcome this difficult time.

>>> India Is Now Between Stage 2 And Stage 3 Of The CO.VID-19 Pandemic

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