VISAKHAPATNAM: The multi-pronged approach adopted in Visakhapatnam has set the tone for tackling Covid-19 in other districts, as meticulous planning and a coordinated strategy for containment zones has helped restrain the spread of the virus in the district.
“We were prepared much in advance to tackle the virus, and had formed 20 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and committees headed by professionals,” explains Visakhapatnam Collector V Vinay Chand. He, however, candidly admits that there is still a long way to go in making the district coronavirus-free.
So far, the district has recorded 21 cases. “We have been successful in containing the spread of the pandemic, but the chapter has not ended. We will ramp up testing and screen all frontline staff, including health and sanitation workers, paramedics, and people with comorbidities now,” he says.
Vizag was second district in the State — after Nellore — where a COVID-19 case was reported. “We were almost taken to task as after the first case was recorded in the city, five more were reported within two days. We were faced with a daunting challenge. Some of us may have taken a while to react, but in the end, everyone reacted well in time,” Chand says.
Vizag’s preparedness and containment approach even received appreciation from Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry Luv Aggarwal, who tweeted that the district emerged as a model as no positive cases were reported for almost 10 days (at the time of his tweet). The district went on to record no new cases for 12 days, until one was reported on Sunday.
Over 3,000 foreign returnees are in the district and have been advised home quarantine. But since there was no way to check if they were in quarantine, 250 resident doctors were roped in to take care of 5-10 foreign returnees each. “When the returnees show symptoms, they are tested,” Chand explains.
“We were prepared ahead of other districts apart from Nellore. Besides, Vizag is special since it has a large port, and many pharma and IT units. It is densely populated and required a cautious approach. The first case forced us to put in place one of the best models in the country. As many as 20 highly-professional monitoring committees headed by experts in various fields were formed as part of the preparedness drive,” Chand says, adding that monitoring committees have pulmonologists, microbiologists, DMHO and DCHMS, a mix of administrators and experts.
The need for RRTs arose in GVMC areas as unlike PHCs in rural areas, the NACs in urban areas don’t have many staff. These RRTs have assistant and associate professors, paramedical, and town planning officials of the GVMC. Each has a replacement RRT after eight hours and they are stationed at a centrally-located area of five wards. The RRTs are given ambulances. “As 108 ambulances were earmarked for emergency services, close to 38 private ambulances were pooled and RTC deployed expert drivers for plying ambulances. The drivers were given protective gear,” he said.
Professional lab committees interrogate people who test positive and make a list of their primary contacts. The contacts are then quarantined. Buffer and containment zones are marked, all houses surveyed, and individuals with symptoms are tested. All protocols issued by the Centre were implemented from day one, the collector said.
“Regular video conferences with officials, including the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Health Secretary, helped ensure we are on the right path. Quick instructions and decisions also helped us understand the epidemic better,” he added.
“So far, it has been a collective approach by all stakeholders in helping contain the virus. It’s like we are at an interval and there is a second half. We are ready to face the situation. The experience we gained in the last 20-25 days will come in handy. The lockdown has definitely helped us plan better. The sole objective now is to test as many people as possible to identify whether there is any hidden spread and take corrective steps,” Chand said, adding that having institutions such as GITAM, Andhra Medical College and NRI medical college in the city is an advantage.
“There has indeed been physical stress and strain on me. My family was largely at home and I could hardly spend half an hour or so there every day. These difficulties do not matter because we are working for society,” he said.
“The Collector starts work early in the day and goes to bed late at night. He never likes to keep anything pending. His first task every morning is to clear pending files before he attends review meetings and video conferences. Sometimes, has eats in his chamber when he can’t go home,” said an official at the collectorate.Referring to precautions taking by him, the Collector said, “I have been following the standard precautions of personal hygiene such as washing hands.”