VIJAYAWADA: Twelve Imasq (Intelligence Monitoring Analysis Service Quarantine) buses have arrived in the district to intensify Covid-19 sample testing, said District Collector A Md Imtiaz. In a review meeting held with the health department officials at his camp office here on Sunday, he directed the officials to conduct at least 2,000 samples per d ay i n Vijayawada. The Collector further said that each bus will have 10 counters to collect samples from symptomatic persons.
All these buses will be stationed at Krishna Lanka, Ajit Singh Nagar, Gunadala, Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium and other localities in the city. Instructions were given to DM&HO I Ramesh to collect 1,000 samples from rural areas and other municipalities that include Machilipatnam, Jaggayyapeta, Nuzvid and Ibrahimpatnam.
Imtiaz also directed the health department officials to collect samples as usual at the IMASQ buses stationed at Gannavaram Airport, Railway Station and Garikapadu checkpost. He called upon the public suffering from cold, fever and running nose to register their names for getting their samples tested at the IMASQ buses. The Collector directed bus manufacturer Dharma Teja to set up a call centre in this regard. Joint Collector (Development) Siva Shankar, VMC chief V Prasanna Venkatesh, CMOH Shalini Devi and other officials were present.