ONGOLE: As the number of COVID-19 positive cases are increasing, the government has decided to use COVID-19 rapid test kits to speed up the testing process. However, with no case reported till Sunday evening, the tally of positive patients remained at 41 in Prakasam district. Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) tested a total of 45 samples on Sunday, of which all returned negative and 182 samples are under examination. Health officials have sent a total of 832 samples for testing, of which 41 tested positive. Around 620 persons have been quarantined in 11 red zones of the district.
“In view of increasing coronavirus positive cases, the government has decided to speed up the tests with the help of rapid test kits. As part of this, the district received the test kits and we are going to use them soon. With this new facility, more number of suspected COVID-19 persons, particularly primary and secondary contacts of patients would be tested,” COVID-19 nodal officer Dr John Richards told TNIE on Sunday. Meanwhile, district authorities also formed a task force to supervise containment and preventive activities at Islampet area in Ongole. In addition to that, another composite task force comprising 11 members was formed to coordinate the containment and preventive measures in red zones.
Authorities have shifted around 500 people from Islampet to IIIT-Ongole premises for quarantine and collected 70 samples from suspected COVID-19 patients. Inspector-General of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha visited red zone in Islampet and inspected arrangements made for total containment of the area. The task force comprises Ongole Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Prabhakar Reddy, Ongole Muncipal Corporation (OMC) commissioner P Niranajan Reddy, MEPMA PD Krupa Rao, Ongole DSP Prasad, ICDS PO Visalakshi, DSO Venkateswarlu, said collector P Bhaskar.
This task force will closely monitor the ongoing surveillance measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in red zone. The team will also supervise labs, testing methods, precautionary measures at all isolation wards and quarantine centres, he added. The composite task force will also monitor the entire red zones as a special cluster and will keep a track of the situation through corona control room. Authorities have established a corona special control room at Gopal Nagar. The control room will facilitate all necessary information regarding COVID-19 positive patients. The control room will work round-the-clock and monitor the status of coronavirus patients, sample collection, their whereabouts after samples collection and their health conditions.