To arrest the surge in coronavirus cases, a random Covid-19 testing drive has been started in Arunachal Pradesh's capital Itanagar to tackle the second wave of the pandemic, informed Mandip Perme, district medical officer, Itanagar.
Within the lockdown period from June 1 to June 7, the authorities will conduct random tests on the people of the state including shopkeepers, the district medical officer told ANI.
According to him, Arunachal Pradesh has 724 active Covid-19 cases.
"The positivity rate has increased significantly during the past one month. In mid-May, the positivity rate was 20 per cent. In an effort to curb the transmission of the virus, Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been formed. We have increased surveillance by testing, tracking and tracing," said Perme.
Stressing on the figures, he told ANI that the positivity rate of primary contact tracing was 29 per cent, while the overall positivity rate is 7 per cent.
"Even though overall positivity rate is 7 per cent, the situation is not stable yet. The government has decided to extend the lockdown and come up with a more definite solution," Perme said.
As many as 10 mobile teams will be created to avail door to door testing and four new vaccination centres are to be launched soon. At present, there are 14 Covid centres and six vaccination centres in the region, said state officials.
To track down the deadly virus, rigorous random antigen testing has begun in the micro containment zones of the state, added the officials.
Meanwhile, the locals lauded the administration for their thoughtful approach.
Itanagar resident, Rechi Tako said, "The testing will help in checking the spread of the infection. I urge people to come forward and get tested. It is a really great initiative by the administration."
Dambon Kena also appealed to the people to get themselves tested for the virus.
"There is no need to be scared. Everybody must get their tests done. I tested negative and I feel psychologically free," he said.
In the lockdown period, the district administration is also planning to conduct door-step Covid vaccination drives for people age 45 years and above, informed Mandip Perme.
"During the lockdown, the immunisation process in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) has witnessed a steep fall. We will create an outreach session to immunise citizens above 45 years. They will be vaccinated in their nearby health centres, community halls or any suitable places," he said.
As per official data, Arunachal Pradesh recorded 3,755 active cases on Monday including 322 new Covid-19 cases. The total recoveries shot up to 23,402, while 115 related deaths have been registered so far.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU