JAIPUR: As the number of Covid-19 cases shoots up alarmingly, CM Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said that his government will conduct a serological survey to ascertain the spread of coronavirus in the state. The survey will enable the government to assess what proportion of the population may have been exposed to the virus.
Gehlot's decision came after he held ‘Corona Awareness Dialogue’ with distinguished doctors of the country including the Chairman of the Narayana group of hospitals Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman of Medanta-The Medicity Dr. Naresh Trehan, and Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Dr. SK Sareen.
The doctors spoke about the current Covid situation and appreciated the Rajasthan government’s proactive approach and lauded the Bhilwara model of containment as an effective way of checking Covid-19. The doctors emphasised the need to follow all Covid-19 protocols to fight the pandemic and said that if the people wore masks regularly, the Covid-19 numbers could start declining within a month.
Dr. Naresh Trehan said, “We have learned a lot while treating the first group of Italian tourists who came from Rajasthan. State’s Bhilwara Model has shown the way to contain the virus and it is now high time that the public stayed alert and follows all the protocols issued by the authorities”.
Dr. SK Sarin said: “During the lockdown period, people followed all rules but now we have become careless. The pandemic is fought on the ground, by people, not in hospitals. The more careful we are with using masks, the earlier it will go. If the state government can strictly implement ‘no mask, no entry’ policy at all public places, the rate of infection will drop significantly.”
Similarly, Dr. Devi Shetty pointed out that the Covid crisis could stay on for over one year and it’s crucial to follow all the protocols. He remarked, “Covid-19 is out of control not because of the inactivity of government, but because of indifference by people. The use of masks can bring down Covid spread significantly. The country must go back to work but with protection.”
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At the start of this unique dialogue, CM Ashok Gehlot remarked, “India is the first country which is now recording nearly one lakh positive cases per day. It is now high time that we see it as a collective battle. We must observe all protocols and do our best to tackle this crisis.”
Health Minister Raghu Sharma highlighted the state government’s various efforts in fighting the Covid pandemic. He pointed out that “the aim of this special dialogue was to ensure that the doctors would guide people of the state on how best to fight with the crisis. So far, there is no vaccine for this disease and people are scared. We want to remove this fear and help them to combat Covid-19 by strictly observing all necessary protocols.”
The number of Covid-19 cases in Rajasthan has gone past one lakh. If the current infection rate persists, then the total number of cases in the state could shoot up beyond two lakhs by mid-October.