Medical shops now would collect details of people buying medicines for cough, fever, or others symptoms similar to COVID-19. This is to identify people possibly suffering from the infectious disease. Samples would be collected and tested depending on the symptoms to check whether they have coronavirus.
Top GHMC officials and additional collectors were told to instruct medical shop owners, their associations, to take contact details of those who buy such medicines. The association members said that they have started collecting details from Saturday.
Principal secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department Arvind Kumar issued a memo on Friday stating that people suffering from symptoms similar to coronavirus are going to medical shops on their own and asking for medicines.
“It is imperative that in a pro-active manner, we follow up on cases with fever and other symptoms similar to COVID. We should be able to contact these patients and get a test conducted depending on the symptoms,” the principal secretary stated. Shopkeepers were asked to inform people that details are collected for their benefit.
“We received instructions and started to collect details,” said CH Janardhan Rao, president of Telangana Chemists and Druggists Association. The details would be sent to officials who will maintain a directory of the cases.
The association members had requested the State government to check whether medicine dealers have contracted COVID-19. Stating that they are coming in contact with people who buy medicines at their stores, the association members in a representation addressed to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that they are facing the risk of contracting and spreading the infection.
Mr Rao earlier said that though they have painted circles indicating where customers should stand, people still crowd the sales counter when the number of customers is high. Precautions like wearing masks, gloves are being observed by pharmacists.
However, stating that they are at risk, the pharmacists wanted tests to be conducted. “A pharmacist from Suryapet and another from Hyderabad have already tested positive,” he said.
