Health Services directs to follow new course of actions
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2020: As preventive measure to control the spread of COVID-19, the Directorate of Health Services today directed all concerned in all the districts to follow the recommendations of the State Technical Expert Committee meeting held on July 24, until further orders.

In an office memorandum, State Health Services stated that it has been reported by DSO of some districts, that there is increasing number of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in few districts since July, with risk of further spike of COVID-19 cases in all the districts.

According to the recommendations of the State Technical Expert Committee meeting held on July 24, contact tracing of primary case should be completed within 48 hours of containment, all the close/high risk contacts inclusive of family members of the positive primary case should be admitted for 14 days in the Quarantine Centre if home quarantine is not feasible.

However symptomatic contacts should be kept in specified Quarantine Centre or in a separate block of a Quarantine Centre till their results are available.

Such blocks/Quarantine Centres should have a minimum requirement of medical facility and drugs to treat ILI or other mild symptoms.

Testing of asymptomatic contacts should be done at the earliest between 5th and 7th day of the last day of contact with the positive case.

Rapid Antigen testing can be employed for these contacts.

The testing should be done on priority basis for symptomatic contacts as early as possible within 48 hrs and negative report (if any) has to be repeated by RT-PCR on the same day itself.

Districts should enhance the capacity of testing, viz., Rapid Antigen Testing, sample collection for RT-PCR by forming more testing teams preferably one team for each sector covering two PHC or CHC.

Additional HR may also be proposed for taking due approval as per MOHFW, GOI protocol for COVID-19.Active surveillance should be strengthened in all containment zones by forming necessary sub teams, preferably completing within 5 days.

During active surveillance, if persons with ILI, SARI or other symptoms suggestive of COVID are detected, they should be isolated and testing should be done on priority as per protocol.

Necessary compliance reports may be sent to the Director Health Services, stated the memorandum.

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