Prayagraj: The rising number of Covid-19 cases has set alarm bells ringing for the officials of the health department who have taken upsampling and contact tracking exercise extensively. In the past couple of days, as many as 26 new cases surfaced, forcing officials of the health department to intensify the collection of sampling and further taking corrective measures.
On Saturday, a total of 3,509 samples were collected for testing including 2089 for antigen, 1314 for RTPCR and 106 Truenat and 16 of them tested positive. Similarly, a total of 4,640 samples were collected on Friday and 10 of them tested positive for the Covid-19 infection.
Records claimed that as many as 54 people tested positive in the city in the past week including March 14 (2 patients), March 15 ( 7 patients), March 16 (3 patients), March 17 ( 7 patients), March 18 (9 patients), March 19 (10 patients) and March 20 ( 16 patients).
Statistics also revealed that there has been a surge in the cases after March 18 when the number of patients went into double-digits. A senior health official said that there are 60 active cases in the city including 12 of them being hospitalized for treatment while the remaining 48 have been permitted for home isolation. This along with 56 locations marked as containment zones.
He further added that the department has intensified the exercise of sample collection and testing at three static locations including Bamrauli airport, Cheoki junction and Prayagraj junction where natives are returning to their homes in the city ahead of the Holi festival.
“We have set a target to collect 3,500-4,000 samples every day to check the spread of the infection in the city,” said the official, adding health teams, apart from these three static spots, have been told to collect samples from several other residential and commercial testing,” he added.
Officials claimed that they are stressing target sampling, and around a dozen teams have been engaged for the same. Sincere efforts are being made to get passenger details from railways and airlines for timely contact tracing if any traveller tested positive.