Ranchi: The Ranchi district administration has directed the health machinery to conduct weekly
Covid-19 tests of patients who are living with immuno-compromised ailments. Their database of these people will have to be created and monitored periodically by the district health officials.
An order issued recently, in the light of a surge in Covid cases in several states, has also mandated periodic screening of hotel and restaurant employees, courier personnel, cab drivers, frontline workers to track Covid infection among them and check for a possible surge in the state capital and its neighborhood.
On February 19, the office of Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan directed health officials to set up dedicated swab collection centres at 17 designated sites, including Ranchi railway station, Birsa Munda International Airport, Hotwar jail, five community health centres, Ranchi sadar hospital and eight primary health centres spread across the district.
The swab collection centre outside Ranchi airport recorded low footfall as optional sampling made several passengers, who arrived from different parts of the country and overseas, skip the screening process. “We have been directed to collect the
samples of passengers who are voluntarily stepping up to get tested,” an on-duty health official said. Samples collected at the airport will be tested through
RT-PCR machines.
Besides patients with underlying ailments, healthcare workers, traffic police personnel will be tested on priority basis. In its order, the administration said at least 1,200 samples have to collected each day for tests. RT-PCR machines will test 46% of the total samples collected while 8% will be done through
TruNat. Around 45% will be done through rapid antigen method.