In one month, 9,000 Covid-19 tests held in 66 Noida Extension societies

GREATER NOIDA: The district administration on Sunday concluded a month-long drive during which it organised camps in 66 apartments in Noida Extension and conducted 9,559 antigen tests. The drive, steered by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), had started on July 4. Members of the Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA) and the Bisrakh medical centre also participated in the drive.
Officials said medical teams went to every household and asked for people with comorbidities or those exhibiting virus-like symptoms. Noida Extension has a total of 67 apartments with over 2 lakh residents. One apartment — Amrapali Leisure Valley Villa — was left out in the current round of checks as it did not have adequate facilities to set up camps. Officials said tests would be conducted there too.
The tests were conducted free of cost and using the rapid antigen method. But the RT-PCR test was also done on a few residents after health officials raised doubts on their reports. Of the total number of people tested in the month-long drive, 128 were found to have Covid-19 and admitted to different hospitals. Officials said 80% of the patients were men.
The decision to set up camps in Noida Extension was taken because some of the areas are densely populated and there are more chances of the infection spreading.
“By setting up camps, we have been able to screen people in Noida Extension early. The worry was that it is a dense habitat. So, the door-to-door screening worked well. The idea was to test such people who had come in contact with a Covid patient or those with comorbidities, who are more vulnerable to the infection,” said Rajiv Rai, the Dadri sub-divisional magistrate. “The exercise was supported by NEFOWA. According to our parameters for the tests, we are going to touch 10,000 screenings this week in Noida Extension,” he added.
Sachindra Mishra, head of the Bisrakh medical centre, said camps were being held every day. “Though the residents were informed about the camps well in advance, many did not come out for the tests. People are scared of stepping out even though we are going to their doorstep. This was a free testing drive organised by the government and we covered 66 apartments in total,” he added.
Abhishek Kumar, the NEFOWA president, said that a few weeks into the drive, more people volunteered to get themselves tested. “The camps were set up according to a schedule and residents were made aware of them. Initially, people were scared of coming out. But the numbers started growing gradually. We have completed all apartments in Noida Extension, except one. But most of the residents there had got themselves tested in other camps,” Kumar added.
Manish Kumar, the NEFOWA vice-president, said only those who had come in contact with a Covid patient or had shown symptoms had got themselves tested. “Among those who were tested were both residents of the apartments as well as domestic and maintenance staffers who work there.”
SDM Rai said the early detection and immediate treatment had prevented several patients from getting critical. “We will continue this drive in the coming days. In the whole of Noida, camps are now being organised and they will play a crucial role in early detection of patients,” he added.