Rains bring fever and cold in Odisha, add to COVID-19 panic
PARADIP: An outbreak of fever and cold due to change in weather has added to the Covid-19 panic among people in the port town.The number of people suffering from fever and cold has gone up significantly following the recent rains in Paradip. Confusing these with symptoms of coronavirus, a large number of people are visiting the port hospital, Government-run Atharbanki community health centre (CHC) and private clinics for treatment.
Medical officer of Atharbanki CHC Basant Rout said around 100 to 120 patients visit the OPD daily and half of them are found suffering from fever. Due to seasonal change and the recent rains, the number of fever cases is on the rise. “People don’t need to panic as these are local infections and can be treated. We are testing swabs of suspected coronavirus cases and are fully prepared to deal with any situation. The CHC is stocked with adequate medicines,”he added.
Sources said growth of wild vegetation and accumulation of rainwater have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Local residents including elderly men, pregnant women and children are at high risk of catching the vector-borne diseases.To prevent and control spread of fever and Covid-19, the port hospital has set up a screening and triage room. Fever cases and people with flu-like symptoms are being screened here. Those with Covid-19 symptoms are being diverted to the nearby flu clinic.
Frontline staff have been engaged in screening of patients. Besides, a state-of-art thermal camera has been installed to measure body temperature of patients. All the health workers are being screened before entering and leaving the hospital. Chairman of Paradip Port Trust (PPT) Rinkesh Ray said, “We have put in place adequate arrangements to stop the spread of the virus. A Covid-19 antigen testing facility has been set up for quick diagnosis of people. Besides, isolation facilities have also been made for port employees.”