The two-member medical experts’ team constituted by the Centre to help the Chandigarh administration in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic is learnt to have suggested better contact tracing, more testing capacity and preparations to increase hospital beds amid a surge in cases.
The team that was deputed here on September 4 has also asked the UT administration to improve its real-time data management while appreciating coordination between field teams and use of geographic information system (GIS) mapping for identifying clusters and demarcating containment zones.
Better contact tracing
The UT has been told to include more staff from the health department in contact tracing exercise, with one team catering to a maximum of 25 active cases.
The contact tracing team, in turn, should coordinate with its corresponding zonal testing team in a streamlined manner and ensure that no family member or contact of positive cases is missed out.
Currently, there is a duplication of work, as the health department carries out contact tracing for testing and the municipal corporation teams for quarantining.
Increase testing
{{/usCountry}}Increase testing
{{/usCountry}}The administration has been told to increase testing capacity at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, as maximum number of cases are surfacing in southern sectors, which also have more containment zones.
Also, there is recommendation to start antigen testing at the emergency ward of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research to ensure those diagnosed with Covid can be immediately isolated from other patients admitted there. At present, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method is used, which takes time to provide test results, leading to chances of spread of infection.
Clear testing data on time
It was noted that the number of Covid-19 tests increased manifold due to the inclusion of negative samples that were not counted on day of testing and are now being updated in bulk.
The team said that real-time data entry should be facilitated to address this backlog at the PGIMER level. It was suggested that test results should be communicated to people on priority.
Be prepared to increase beds
The expert team has also called for better coordination between all three government hospitals in the city to streamline referrals, besides asking PGIMER and GMCH to be prepared to increase the number of beds in case of a further surge.
The team has recommended that the staff from all specialties should be trained for managing at least moderate Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, it has been suggested that all family members of those testing positive should be contacted by doctors within 24 hours to take a call on whom to be home isolated or shifted to Covid care centre or hospital, and for quarantining high-risk contacts with comorbidities.