A team of experts and doctors formed by the Jharkhand government for advice on ways to tackle a third wave Covid infections has recommended that the state set up at least 1,000 ICU beds and ensure availability of medicines for treatment of flu in children in all medical stores across all 24 districts, officials said on Monday.

Following the empowered committee’s recommendation, Dr Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh, who heads the Third Wave Covid Control Room in the state, addressed letters to the civil surgeons of all 24 districts of the state, directing them to hold meetings with hospital representatives and increase the number of ICU beds in private as well as government hospitals.

As per the recommendation of the expert committee, 50 per cent of the ICU beds could be set up in private hospitals and the remaining half in government-run healthcare centres. The state is also setting up child-friendly ICUs with cartoons painted on the walls to prepare for the third wave, officials said.

The Empowered Committee for Prevention of Third Wave, set up by the Hemant Soren government, comprises over a dozen clinical experts and health department officials. The committee also considered suggestions from Dr Roderico Ofrin, WHO representative to India; Dr Ashok Deorari, HOD Paediatrics, AIIMS Delhi; DR Neelam Mohan, Director of Paediatrics, Medanta and Dr Pardeep B S, HOD Epidemiology, NIMHANS while preparing the roadmap to tackle the pandemic.

In accordance with the committee’s recommendations, district civil surgeons have been asked to hold meetings with chemists and druggist associations and ensure surplus availability of medicines that are used particularly for treating fever and viral infection in children.

The list of medicines prepared by the expert committee includes paracetamol drops, vitamin C drops, Amoxycillin drops, ranitidine syrups, cough syrups, oral rehydration solution (ORS) and combinations of injections to be administered to patients who show severe symptoms of Covid-19.

The expert committee has estimated that around 7 lakh of the 1.43 crore population in the age bracket of 0 to 18 years may get affected by Covid-19 in the third wave. While 2.86 lakh of the patients are estimated to be symptomatic, about 8,610 of them may show severe symptoms needing intensive care, the committee has predicted on the basis of trends in India and across the world.

Even though the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), a body representing over 32,000 pediatricians across India, has said that 90 per cent of Covid cases among children are asymptomatic, the rising fear of Delta plus variant of the coronavirus and its ability to dodge medicines and vaccines have led to widespread concern.

However, Jharkhand may have more time in hand to make arrangements for a third wave, if at all it hits the state. According to experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a third wave may occur after six to eight months, giving all states the time to prepare.