Health teams told to conduct 6,000 tests daily

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 21

With the second wave of the Covid-19 contagion being predicted to surface in the next two weeks, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori has directed the Health Department to ensure that around 6,000 samples are taken daily and tested for the virus. This will help in early detection of the disease and treatment of the patients, besides containing the spread of the contagion.

Participating in a videoconference chaired by Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan here on Saturday, the Deputy Commissioner, who was accompanied by Jalandhar (rural) SSP Sandeep Kumar Garg and Kapurthala SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, asked the department to hold Covid-19 sampling camps at those places which have a high footfall of people and ensure that the target of 6,000 samples is achieved daily.

Ghanshyam Thori further asked them to conduct sampling in colleges, schools, hostels and other institutions to detect the potential cases. He said widespread and extensive testing would lead to low positive cases and would stop the transmission of the virus.

He said the aggressive testing would ensure that potential disease carriers were identified promptly and effective tracing, containment and treatment could be started.

The Deputy Commissioner said, “The more we do sampling the better will be chances of not missing infected persons, especially asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients who otherwise will be roaming within society freely and spreading infection.”

Further, he asked the officials to improve contact tracing of a positive case which would help contain the spread. He said the district administration was fully geared up and well prepared to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic if it surfaced in the next few weeks.

He said beds in ICUs of private and government hospitals were already reserved. The district administration would leave no stone unturned to serve people in this difficult situation.

He asked the police department to strictly enforce mask-wearing as masks were the only vaccine right now to prevent the spread of the virus. The Deputy Commissioner ordered to launch a special drive to enforce safety precautions strictly, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. He directed officials to penalize those who were found violating these guidelines and carry out the enforcement drive aggressively, besides special night patrolling.

Further, he urged people to follow safety precautions that included wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, washing hands, and others to check the spread of the infection.

Those present on the occasion were Additional Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal, Civil Surgeon Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla, and Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Gurmeet Kaur Duggal, among others.