The Kozhikode Corporation has come up with a comprehensive plan to check the spread of COVID-19 in the city. Mayor Beena Philip told reporters here on Friday that a ₹9 crore project has been formulated to ensure the smooth functioning of ward-level rapid response teams (RRTs), first-line treatment centres (FLTCs) and domicile care centres. Under the project, all arrangements will be made at the ward-level for activities related to COVID-19.
As a first step, the standing committee chairpersons, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have been given special responsibility of a group of wards, to coordinate efforts to check the spread of the disease in the wards and to move patients to home isolation, domicile care centre or FLTC as required. One official from the Corporation has been appointed as surveillance officer in every ward. This person will be in charge of tracing contacts of patients, ensuring patients get necessary facilities, bringing any problems to the Corporation’s notice, ensuring the ‘Break the chain’ protocol is followed and coordinating the functioning of RRTs.
A mobile vaccination unit of the Corporation will be active from May 1 onwards to enable the vaccination of elderly people. Three domicile care centres will be functional at Kolathara orphanage building, Cheruvannur community hall and Jinaraja School in Marad from Saturday onwards to accommodate COVID patients without symptoms, if they did not have facility for home isolation.
The Corporation also plans to open a domicile care centre in every ward. The councillors have been asked to identify the infrastructure for such centres and coordinate the activities at ward-level. The Corporation is also opening a call centre from next week onwards, in association with the Indian Medical Association, to provide tele-medicine facility for COVID patients in home isolation.
Earlier, an online meeting of the Corporation Council passed the ₹9 crore project and decided to donate ₹1 crore to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafir Ahamed. All motions were postponed to the next meeting.