NEW DELHI: Following the directions of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the city’s east district has initiated extensive screening and rapid antigen detection tests by special surveillance groups (SSG) for which it is seeking help from resident and market associations.
In the revised Covid Response Plan, which was issued earlier this month, the DGHS had asked the surveillance units in all 11 revenue districts to carry out an intense screening of auto, rickshaw, taxi or tempo drivers, technicians, plumbers, carpenters, house workers, daily wagers and suppliers of essential services such as food, grocery and posts.
“The SSGs are being mobilised with the help of municipal corporations, resident welfare associations (RWAs), and market associations. They are being integrated with nearest dispensaries, where screening and rapid antigen tests are being done,” said Arun Kumar Mishra, district magistrate (DM) East.
Authoritiese have set up 26 centres to carry out testing across the district, where about 1,500 tests are being done daily.The district currently has 47 active containment zones of which 28 were added in the month of June.
According to the latest data available, since June 15, more than 22,000 rapid antigen tests (RAT) have been conducted in the east district and about 1,300 were found positive, of which 128 more had undergone RT-PCR test and 24 of them were tested positive for Covid- 19.
After the RAT, the next test is done according to established protocol if anyone is testing positive for Covid-19 or shows influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms or severe acute respiratory infection.
The administration in other districts have also started organising camps and testing people falling in SSGs in various residential pockets, JJ clusters and slums.
Extensive testing exercise is also being undertaken to examine vegetable and fruit sellers especially in retail markets and also in various auction yards – Azadpur, Ghazipur, Keshopuram, Okhla and Narela.
In the north district, six mobile vans have been procured to test people who are providing essential services.
Testing being conducted on a war footing
In addition to 5,896 RT-PCR tests in the last 24 hours, 14,329 rapid antigen tests were conducted in all districts across the national capital. So far, about 7.56 lakh people have been tested for the coronavirus in Delhi.