Karnataka health department lauds Udupi's success in managing Covid-19 spike

UDUPI: Notwithstanding the fact that Udupi has one of the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in the state –- 1063 as on date and just two fatalities -- steps taken by district administration in handling the situation has won it kudos from the state health department. The district is credited with the number of firsts in the fight against the pandemic including use of Zoom meetings to train various cadre of staff involved in this massive public health effort.
An internal note of the department, a copy of which is available with TOI, states that Udupi started SARI surveillance on March 17 that included data from March 5. The administration identified 14 sentinel hospitals including 3 government that admitted SARI cases and were capable of treating them. All the 14 hospitals involved in sentinel surveillance from the beginning admitted 354 SARI cases, tested them for Covid, of which 2 are positive.
Training has been imparted to hospitals and nursing homes in the district that have in-patient facilities in triaging and segregating ILI cases and were implemented since March. Nursing homes have kiosks for segregating ILI from mainstream outpatient and inpatient departments and have separate treatment facilities for ILI cases –- like fever clinics. All ILI under passive surveillance are being tested for Covid and 9 out of 698 tested turned out positive.
District has over 8,000 health care workers including doctors. All HCWs are under surveillance and out of 138 symptomatic tests, two were positive and treated. The total of 13,033 people tested in the district accounts to 10,000 tests per 1 lakh population and is one of the highest in the state. District has undertaken extensive contact tracing for all symptomatic Covid-19 patients and includes history taking and CDR exploration of positive patients.
The district has roped in a private tertiary care hospital with 125 beds and 12 ventilators for handling vulnerable, co-morbid and pregnant Covid-19 cases. The hospital is equipped with infrastructure and a specialist team to handle any complicated Covid19 cases in the district. All dedicated Covid hospital, dedicated Covid health care centre and Covid care centres in the district have been trained for IPC management by an expert team of KMC Manipal.
Covid treatment facilities across the district follow stringent three layer-infectious zone, buffer zone and green zone movement areas within the facilities and only young staff can enter infectious zones. Elderly staff can help core staff in administrative, supportive operations in green zones. DC G Jagadeesha said, “Highest recovery rate and lowest mortality rate in the state is testimony to dedication of the entire health team in handling the epidemic.”