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Chandigarh: Experts say repeated screening must to pick asymptomatic coronavirus cases
While UT health dept has 2.19 lakh people screened so far following Guv’s order, experts say just one round will likely leave out a large number of asymptomatic people
With the UT health department starting screening of around 12 lakh population of the city to combat the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), experts believe such an exercise will be successful only if “accompanied with testing” and “repeated”, as the first round is likely to leave out a large number of asymptomatic people.
On Thursday, UT administrator VP Singh Badnore directed the department to screen the population, and by Friday, 2.19 lakh people were screened by multipurpose health workers and samples of two people were taken for testing.
However, Dr Digamber Behra, senior pulmonologist from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), said, “This practice is called active case finding, which is done in hotspots. Provided the UT health department has enough manpower to screen every house, there is a good possibility that more number of positive cases will be detected.”
However, screening has its own limitations, Dr Behra said. “Firstly, it is highly likely that some people will not reveal the truth regarding their symptoms. Secondly, there will be those who are asymptomatic, unaware of carrying the infection. So to detect such cases, it is important to do repeated screening.”
An epidemiologist from PGIMER, wishing not to be named, said, “The screening will only serve the purpose if those with symptoms are tested. As the incubation period of the infection is 14 days, the exercise must be repeated to make it a success.”
UT home-cum-health secretary Arun Gupta said, “Around 50 teams of multi-purpose health workers screened over two lakh people. Out of these, some who showed mild symptoms were screened by doctors and two fit the criteria for testing. The report of one is negative and that of the other is awaited.”
Gupta said, “We cannot take samples of everyone with mild symptoms, as they do not fit the criteria set by the central government.”
MAX HOSPITAL GETS NOD TO COLLECT SAMPLES
Deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan on Friday granted permission to Max Super Specialty Hospital, Phase 6, to collect samples for Covid-19 testing, making it the first such facility in the district. Dayalan said the management of the hospital has been told to comply with the directions issued by the Punjab government and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in this regard. The hospital will collect samples and send them to Max Super Specialty Hospital, Smart, New Delhi, for testing as per government guidelines at rates as fixed by the ICMR.
