MillenniumPost
Bengal

Focus on contact tracing in areas seeing surge

Focus on contact tracing in areas seeing surge
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KOLKATA: For effective containment of Covid pandemic and to break the chain of transmission, the State Health department has adopted five-fold strategy including rigorous contact tracing for at least 14 successive days in the areas where recent surge in Covid cases has been witnessed.

During a recent meeting of the senior health officials, all the district health officials have been alerted against a steep rise in the daily Covid cases.

The health officials also analysed the data collected from the affected areas where the Covid cases are on the rise and assessed the key statistics in the ground level.

Incidentally, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had recently held a high level virtual meeting where the Health Secretaries of various states including Bengal were given certain directives to check the spread of the infection.

To control the spread of the infection, the Health officials have taken up the five-pronged strategy.

Firstly, the district health officials were strongly advised to ensure a significant increase of testing in all districts with increased share of RT-PCR tests.

They were also advised that Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) should be used as a screening tool in the populated areas.

The Health department also laid emphasis on effective isolation and contact tracing. "Detection of positive cases is to be followed with prompt contact tracing of people who might have come in close contact with the infected person. Those who came in contact with the infected must be kept in isolation," reads the advisory given to the district officials.

Thirdly, the Health department issued instructions to strengthen public and private hospital infrastructure and 're-energise' the healthcare workers.

The hospitals have been advised to strictly follow the Covid protocols.

In another move, the district officials have been asked to pay renewed attention to the observance of Covid norms in crowded place like markets, schools, colleges, railway stations etc. Sensitisation and public awareness campaigns can be held to make people aware.

According to the Health department's observation, many people were not wearing masks in public places. The district officials have been urged to spread awareness among the people so that they wear masks.

Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay during a recent meeting instructed the district administrative officers to take steps against those who are not abiding by the Covid protocols.

Sources in the Health department also said more than 90 per cent of the people dying of Covid in the state are elderly citizens. The number of daily casualties varies between 1 to 4 as the Health department data suggests.

The officials from the districts were also asked to make advance planning of logistics and infrastructure management.

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