5,000 families living near Covid hosp to be screened

TNN | Updated: Apr 19, 2020, 22:57 IST

Prayagraj: Health department officials would screen over 5,000 families living within a three-kilometre radius of the Covid-19 Level One Hospital in Kotwa — where all novel coronavirus patients are being treated in the city — as a precautionary measure.
Till now, six cases were reported from Pratapgarh, two from Kaushambhi and one from Prayagraj. Of these, seven were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation which was organised in Delhi amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Eight of these patients were discharged after testing negative for the virus thrice and have been advised to self-isolate at home.
Additional chief medical officer and nodal officer Dr Rishi Sahai said, “The health department has demarcated the area within a three-kilometre radius of the Covid-19 Level One Hospital as hyper-sensitive and decided to screen around 5,000 families living within the area.”
“Around 50 teams equipped with a special app will go door-to-door to screen families. The teams will include a doctor and a community health officer for supervision,” he added.
“If a person is found experiencing symptoms like cough, fever, cold or a respiratory stress, the team would immediately contact the Rapid Response Team (RRT) for further action.” The samples of suspected cases would be sent to MLN Medial College for testing. Meanwhile, 15 medical teams screened around 800 students who had returned from Kota in Rajasthan to Prayagraj on Sunday, after being stranded in the city because of the lockdown.
‘All of them tested negative for novel coronavirus,” said Dr Sahai.