CHENNAI: Senior officials of the city corporation said discussions were on to decide whether or not the fever surveillance staff are to be retained in their full strength, in preparation for a possible third wave. A senior corporation official told Express that a decision will be taken based on the recommendations of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“At present, it is going on at the same level (of strength), but ultimately we might downsize a little bit, which will be based on the ICMR report. As and when need arises, we can upscale it immediately,” the official said. After the first wave, decelerating the fever surveillance, that was credited with helping in identifying several Covid 19 cases early, is said to be one of the reasons that led to the corporation acting at a slower pace to catch up when the second wave started.
A corporation sanitary officer said that the current focus is more on vaccination as far as fever surveillance staff are concerned. “Earlier, surveillance staff used to visit houses everyday, Now, they visit a house every two days. So, we don’t need as many staff,” the official said. As on Saturday, about 11 of the 15 city corporation zones registered less than 10 new positive cases.