Mohali plans aggressive Covid testing

Mohali The administration has decided to make all-out efforts to increase Covid-19 sampling in the district to detect and control the disease, deputy commissioner (DC) Girish Dayalan said on Tuesday.

Reviewing the status of Covid-19 infections in the district with subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) and senior medical officers of the district, Dayalan said, “testing may be increased twofold with special focus on vulnerable sections coupled with aggressive contact tracing, aiming for least 15 contacts per case.”

Directing the SDMs to prepare an advance weekly sampling plan targeting vulnerable sections, Dayalan asked the district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) to conduct a similar exercise for rural areas in consultation with sarpanches.

The civil surgeon was asked to ensure round-the-clock availability of the sampling team at the district hospital with two dedicated mobile sampling teams for the needy

Entrusting the responsibility of overseeing the contact tracing to the additional deputy commissioner (development), Dayalan asked him to ensure maximum physical contact tracing.

Nodal officers were asked to ensure home isolation of asymptomatic patients, regular check by control room/doctors. The DC directed them to keep a tab on equipment and bed availability and ensure availability of L2 and L3 facilities to the needy patients.

The control room would also be strengthened with requisite staff round the clock to sort out the grievances of the callers.

Strict enforcement measures with respect to compliance of health protocols and advisories was also stressed upon.