India scrambles to avoid a viral nightmare

NEW DELHI: The Centre is identifying emerging “hotspots” of Covid-19 infection and employing a rigorous cluster containment strategy which involves demarcating an area of 3 kilometre radius around epicentre, a buffer zone of additional 5 kilometre radius and ensuring all quarantine protocols are followed here.The health ministry is studying data and identifying probable hotspots of Covid-19 which need to be better monitored so that the infection does not spread. Joint secretary (health) Lav Agarwal said, “We are studying emerging hot spots and these are being identified after which a rigorous containment policy is being followed.” The number of confirmed cases at 4 pm on Sunday had increased to 979 with 25 deaths. Over the last 24 hours, 106 new positive cases and six deaths from different states have been reported. 74879471 The rigorous containment strategy or the micro plan for containing local transmission involves first identifying the house of a Covid-19 positive patient and then tracing contact list and mapping all of them. In a scenario where this is taking time, the protocol is to demarcate an area of 3 kilometre radius as the epicentre. This epicentre would be the containment zone which would be sealed. All residents within this area would be asked to stay indoors and sanitisation would take place. Health workers in surveillance teams would be asked to go doorto-door and seek details such as number of people in a house, their age, gender and their health status, including any underlying conditions. A daily check would be kept on these. A 5 kilometre radius buffer zone would also be demarcated.The strategy to identify containment zones has been evolved after areas like Bhilwara have emerged as pockets showing quick spread of infection. The containment plan would involve the last-mile health worker in identifying such clusters, house-to-house visits, keeping a track of active cases and their contacts, maintaining a list of suspected cases and their contacts and ensuring all protocols of home quarantine are followed. Every health worker should be set a target of 50 houses in a day. Agarwal said, “The reason behind following this containment policy is to ensure that if there is any suspected case we quarantine them and if he develops symptoms proper medical treatment is given at the right time.” Secretary (health) Preeti Sudan took a meeting with state health secretaries on Sunday and took stock of isolation and quarantine facilities. The Centre has directed the states that there should not be any cohorting of infected patients with non -Covid patients.

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