Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 28

In view of residents’ opposition to Covid sampling in many areas, the Health Department has decided to take police personnel along while going for sampling.

The officials concerned said residents of Ekta Nagar, where the first case of Delta Plus variant was found, showed resistance to Covid sampling during a surveillance exercise. The department was conducting a survey there to identify symptomatic patients.

Though around 300 houses in the area have been surveyed, the health officials couldn’t collect even a single sample there so far. It was learnt that residents had refused for Covid sampling.

Dr Sumeet Singh, District Epidemiologist, said: “Our teams asked residents to come forward for sampling. However, no one obliged. Now, we have decided to take the police with us for sampling.”

He said a resident of Ekta Nagar was found positive at the PGI, Chandigarh, and they had requested the doctors there to send the patient’s sample for genome sequencing. “We have taken the samples of the members of the sole Delta Plus positive patient’s family. However, it is important to take samples of other residents in the area as well. We want to know if it was an isolated case or not.”