Patna: Mobile teams start collecting samples from riverine areas

PATNA: The Patna administration has deputed mobile teams for collecting samples of suspected Covid patients living in riverine areas in the district where road connectivity was paralysed due to rise in water level of rivers.
Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said the district authorities have been collecting samples of people from diara and taal areas. Around 8,000 such samples have been tested and 3% of people were tested positive for Covid.
As per the data provided by the district administration, the maximum samples were collected from Belchi taal (1,995), followed by Ghoswari taal (1,481), Ram Nagar diara (500), Chiraiya diara (399) and Bahadur taal (222). Around 300 samples were tested in Danapur block covering areas like Purani Panapur, Kasimchak, Gangaur, Manas and Patlapur.
On Sunday, 456 samples were collected from diara areas and only one person was tested positive for the virus.
Patna DM Kumar Ravi said symptomatic Covid patients from diara and taal areas were sent to hospitals and asymptomatic patients to the isolation centres. “The mobile team also did contact tracing for containment of the virus. As the people in riverine areas can’t reach the primary health centres, the team is conducting rapid antigen tests for early detection. All riverine areas, including Patna Sadar, Bakhtiyarpur and Fatuha, are covered,” the DM added.
Meanwhile, the district administration has so far collected 168 samples from supermarkets in Patna. None of the sample, however, was tested positive for coronavirus. Of 12,749 samples tested in containment zones so far, 1,060 people were tested positive for the virus in the district.