New Delhi, June 4 -- The government has asked states and Union territories to ramp up healthcare preparedness and ensure adequate availability of oxygen, ventilators, isolation beds and essential medicines at hospitals as covid-19 cases begin to surge.

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India reported a spike in covid-19 infections, with 864 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours,according to data shared by the Union health ministry. While the tally of active covid-19 cases has climbed to 4,302 as of Wednesday, around seven people lost their lives in the past 24 hours, one each in Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and four in Maharashtra. The total number of covid deaths has risen to 44 deaths since 1 January.

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