8 doctors call for 'total community survey'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 20 2020:
Asserting that Manipur may soon find herself facing moderate and even severe community transmission as the number of COVID-19 cases among people with no travel history spikes, eight healthcare experts and doctors have urged the State Government and health authority to launch a 'total community survey' to ascertain the situation at hand and effectively face the pandemic.
Stating that the State had entered the early stage of community transmission as early as July 20, the health experts in a statement stressed that about "55 percent" of the total COVID-19 cases among the civilian population have no travel history and added this is a "disturbing situation" .
About 574 cases with no travel history were detected during a span of 10 days (August 10-19), they said.
Reasons for the spike in cases.
The experts pointed out that allowing returnees to return home for further quarantine after 14 days institutional quarantine without test results was one of the major reasons for the surge in the number of cases.
Absence of total community survey in quarantine zones, not testing two times at quarantine zones and quarantine centres and home quarantine for the poor are also reasons for the spike.
Further, the experts pointed out that cross infection at quarantine zones and quarantine centres had occurred.
They further listed lapses in the conduct and containment measures taken up to avoid infection.
Non-screening of volunteers at quarantine centres/zones, allowing police/security personnel to return home and mix with other people and not arranging another 14 days quarantine for the poor had played a role in the spread of the virus.
Overworking of medical staff, not doing weekly testing of COVID-19 warriors-medical personnel, police, media personnel and volunteers working at quarantine centres/zones had also negatively impacted the containment efforts, they said.