Commissioner and Secretary Health reviews COVID-19 situation in Hailakandi

August 9: Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Anurag Goel asked the district administration to step up swab tests under Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and to isolate those found corona positive to prevent further community transmission. Reviewing the COVID-19 pandemic situation at Deputy Commissioner’s conference hall here on Sunday, Commissioner and Secretary, Goel said the best way to contain the spread of COVID-19 is through aggressive testing under RAT in market places, godowns and in areas with high positivity cases. “Aggressive testing under RAT and isolating the positive persons is the best way to tackle the situation. The more the number of cases are detected, the more the chances of containing the disease,” he said.

Citing the case of COVID hotspot Guwahati, Goel said aggressive testing coupled with immediate isolation of COVID-19 positive patients has enabled to bring down drastically the rate of positivity from areas as high as 30 per cent to just 3.5 per cent as of now which is expected to dip further to a mere 1.0 to 1.5 per cent by August 25. “It’s a credit rather than discredit for an administration to detect more number of corona cases, as this is the best way to arrest the spread of the disease,” he quipped.

Setting a target of 1,500 swab tests everyday for the district administration, Goel urged the administration to set up two to three COVID-19 testing and screening centers in those areas with maximum number of positive cases and to conduct aggressive testing in the next 15 to 20 days. The senior health official directed the administration to make it mandatory for all government offices and other establishments to undergo RAT. He said that the district heads would have to certify that he or she along with other staff have all undergone swab tests.

Goel directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Health to maintain a proper record of persons who have given swab tests initially and thereafter so that they can be released on time once their swab samples tested negative. He also asked the health officials to keep database of symptomatic patients from Hailakandi being discharged from the Silchar Medical College and Hospital and to be placed under home quarantine for the next seven days. Goel asked the health officials to get in touch with those cured persons and to persuade them to donate convalescent plasma that can save the lives of two critically ill COVID patients. “Plasma is very precious and has produced wonderful results by saving lives of critically ill COVID patients. A plasma donor does a great service to humanity for he can save two lives. And one can donate plasma for the second time after an interval of just 15 days,” he said.

The senior health official asked the administration to keep a tab on the health status of persons under home isolation twice a day. Goel said the administration as per the state government’s standing instruction can allow asymptomatic persons under home isolation provided he or she fulfils certain conditions. He also suggested clubbing of two-three facility quarantine centres lying in a small radius into a dedicated COVID Care Centre.
Goyal instructed the officials to ensure good quality and quantity of food and cleanliness at the centres and isolation wards of hospitals.

He asked the health officials to pass on the instructions to the doctors and nurses on duty to attend to emergency cases, including delivery without waiting for COVID outcome and thereafter carry out sterilisation or fumigation of the operation theatre or labour room. “In case of accidental exposure to a COVID-19 positive case in the OT or in the labour room, do not close it down. Fumigate and sanitise to make it safe for use after an hour. This protocol is being followed by Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital,” he added.

Goel assured that his department would provide all the possible support to the administration in the fight against the disease. Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Megh Nidhi Dahal apprised Goel about the slew of initiatives taken by the administration to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Dahal told Goel about the arrangements being put in place at the COVID Care Centres to make the stay of the inmates comfortable and to serve kitchen made hot and quality food to them.

The Deputy Commissioner said the administration is focusing on conducting random rapid antigen tests in areas with high as 10 per cent positivity rate such as Katlicherra, Panchgram and Algapur. Dahal apprised about the setting up of 19 COVID-19 testing and screening centres in different parts of the district. He said the number of swab tests under RAT have been stepped up with 815 cases conducted on Saturday alone. Dahal informed that two-three facility quarantine centres have been transformed into COVID Care Centres with the one at Polytechnic Institute having a bed strength of 500. He revealed that 230 persons without travel history have been afflicted with corona disease.

The meeting was attended by District Development Commissioner, Vikram Dev Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Health, EL Faihraem, Additional Deputy Commissioner, RK Dam, Joint Director, Health Services, Dr. Ashutosh Barman, CMHO, Dr. RC Dwivedy, Superintendent of SK Roy Civil Hospital, Dr.Sudip Chakravorty, DIO, Dr.KTS Rongmei, DPM, Maruf Alom Barbhuiya and Branch Officer, DDMA, Rahul Doley. Later Commissioner and Secretary, Goel accompanied by DC, Dahal, district and health officials visited the SK Roy designated COVID-19 Civil Hospital and took stock of the arrangements there.