With spike in cases, officials to focus on home quarantine

With the district expecting a spike in COVID-19 cases from the first week of July, the administration is gearing up to handle the situation.

The cases are already on the rise with the district recording over 350 cases in the last 30 days and to keep it under check, the administration has designed a four-pronged strategy with special emphasis on home quarantine or home isolation model.

Speaking to The Hindu, District Collector V. Vinay Chand, quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, said, “The infection rate is high and is going up, ever since the relaxation of the lockdown, as there is a widespread movement of people. The case are going to rise, and the limitation with the testing facility persists. But fortunately 95% of the cases are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic in the country and as well as in our district.” According to him, asymptomatic or people with mild symptoms, who have no facility at home for isolation, will be shifted to COVID Care Centres (CCC), and the people who can afford or has facility at home will be recommended home isolation.

“Doctors and paramedical staff will monitor such patients at home. The team of doctors will be linked to the telemedicine facility. But in most cases it has been seen that people with mild symptoms or asymptomatic need no specific treatment. But if there is an emergency he or she will be immediately moved to a COVID hospital. The team of doctors will comprise MBBS doctors and pulmonologist, and we are also trying to rope in psychiatrists,” he said.

Containment zones
Monitoring the containment zones has been the key approach and it will be continued to break the chain of spread. Now since the concept of large containment zones have been abolished, the zones will be restricted to 200 metres as core area and another 200 metres as buffer zone. “Even if there is one case, the area becomes a containment zone. For areas with over 10 cases the zone will be 500 mts plus 500 mts buffer. Mostly importantly, there is going to be focussed testing,” said Mr. Chand.

The testing will be more focussed for people over 60 years with co-morbid conditions, 60 years without any co-morbidity and below 60 with co-morbidity. All these three are categorised as high-risk groups and there will be 100% testing. “This is the approach we are adopting at places such as Appughar and Jalaripeta, where there is an outbreak. This method proved successful in Dandu Bazaar and Anakapalle, he said. So far there has been over 66,000 tests conducted,” the Collector said. The other area of focus is creation of CCC (COVID Care Centres). Anticipating a spike in the next few days, the district administration has set up a target for creating at least 5,000 beds.

“These centres will have basic single room facility and those who cannot be isolated at home will be shifted here. These facilities are being created at hostels and vacant government-run housing board homes. There will a team of doctors and paramedic staff working three shifts with an ambulance in each of the centres. As of now 2,800 beds are ready and another 1,200 is in the pipeline. By July 1, we shall have all 5,000 beds ready,” said the District Collector.

‘Well prepared’
As far as beds in hospitals are concerned, according to him the district is comfortably placed. “The estimate is to keep 6,000 beds ready and we already have 7,000 ready, with 2,000 critical care beds that has the three-line oxygen supply and about 800 ventilators are ready,” he said.

In tune with the Chief Minister’s order of screening all people, teams are being developed with ANMs, doctors and ASHA workers. “The screening is going to be more scientific, as each team will equipped with a BP meter, glucometer, clinical thermometer and a pulse oximeter. The data will fed into the central server and high-risk groups will be monitored from time-to-time,”he said.

On cooperation from people, he said, “The pandemic can be defeated with cooperation from people. If people use masks religiously, maintain social distancing and other protocols such as regularly washing hands with soap or alcohol-based hand sanitisers, the virus can be kept at bay.” – The Hindu