Udupi Deputy Commissioner M. Kurma Rao on Monday ordered a Fever Survey in the district to identify COVID-19 positive patients and ensure their isolation and treatment for the effective containment of the spread of the pandemic.
Chairing a meeting on COVID-19 containment measures at the district office, Mr. Rao directed Health Department officials to get ASHAs and anganwadi volunteers visit every household in the district and collect information about those having fever.
They should ensure that those having fever undergo COVID-19 test so as to facilitate isolation of people having COVID-19 symptoms and also effective containment of the spread of the disease. He appealed to the general public to cooperate with the administration in conducting the survey so that the district becomes free of the pandemic.
Asking the department officials to enhance COVID-19 tests, Mr. Rao ordered compulsory testing of primary and secondary contacts of COVID-19 positive patients, people with fever symptoms as well as those with travel history. Officials should ensure that COVID-19 positive patients in home isolation and their primary contacts do not roam outside the containment zones. He also told them to collect all information with regard to COVID-19 positive patients in the jurisdictional primary health care centre.
The Deputy Commissioner said that official should collect details of people who are yet to be vaccinated during the special drives and ensure that they all get vaccine. People’s representatives of the area and NGOs should be roped in while holding vaccination camps, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rao said that the Health Department should collate information on ILI and SARI cases reported in private healthcare facilities and get such patients tested for COVID-19. People buying medicine for COVID-19 symptoms in pharmacies should be tracked and tested, he added.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Y. Naveen Bhat asked officials to provide a helpline to the general public to give information about COVID Care Centres, COVID-19 positive people roaming around in violation of quarantine measures and other information relating to the pandemic. They should get help from village level task forces to undertake vaccination drives and monitoring patients in home isolation.
Additional Deputy Commissioner B. Sadashiva Prabhu, Kundapur Assistant Commissioner K. Raju, District Health Officer Nagabhushana Udupa and others were present.
