Collector orders contact tracing, tests

Nagpur: In a meeting of health officials, district collector Vipin Itankar stressed the need for contact tracing of Covid positive patients.
Itankar also urged senior health officials to increase testing, especially patients of influenza, acute respiratory tract infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). “There’s a need to follow the Covid protocol like it was in the first and second wave, including avoiding gatherings,” said Itankar.
“We are prepared with medicines and other support system in place but citizens must be cautious too as the new variant is said to be more transmissible,” said the collector, adding, “Even private hospitals have been alerted.”
District health officer Dr Deepak Selokar said medical officials of 53 primary health centres have been instructed to be prepared. “We are back to home isolation guidelines. The six-minute walk test, home visits of patients by Asha workers for daily monitoring, use of masks by health workers and doctors and use of sanitizers are all back in our daily routine now,” he said.
Patients will be referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Mayo Hospital and AIIMS.