E-Paper
84% cases in Himachal Pradesh asymptomatic, health department worried
Of 39 patients only six exhibited flu-like symptoms; special secretary health says strict home quarantine is the solution
As many as 84% Covid-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh have been asymptomatic, reveals government data.
So far, 39 cases have been reported in the hill-state, of which 33 were asymptomatic and only six were symptomatic.
Health experts say the figures do not portend well for containment efforts as asymptomatic patients may unwittingly spread the virus.
Asymptomatic patients are carriers of the virus but do not exhibit any symptom, which makes their diagnoses and surveillance a challenge for authorities.
Special secretary, health, and national health mission director Dr Nipun Jindal says, “That most positive patients are asymptomatic is a cause for concern as we only taking symptomatic cases. For community surveillance and epidemiological analysis, too, we are taking influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) cases in community.”
At present, the state government is only testing people coming from outside the state and exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Fever was so far considered a major symptom.
“The solution to this problem is strict home quarantine as these asymptomatic positive people will soon turn non-contagious as their immunity will overpower the sub-clinical infection,” he said.
QUARANTINE COMPULSORY FOR RECOVERED PATIENTS
After a patient who had recovered from Covid-19 tested positive for the virus again on Sunday, the health department has make it mandatory for recovered patients to stay in quarantine after being discharged.
The man who tested positive again had been treated at Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda in Kangra district and had been quarantined at Cheb after treatment.
As many as 7,381 persons have been put under quarantine in the hill state so far, of which 2,188 are under active surveillance, while 5,193 have completed their observation period.
As many as 2,553 persons have been tested for Covid-19, of which 2,337 persons have been found negative.
RAPID TEST KIDS AWAITED
The Himachal Pradesh government had requested the centre to provide 30,000 rapid testing kits but so far it has only received 4,800. Una, Solan , Sirmaur, Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba are the worst affected districts in Himachal and as many as 85 panchayats in these districts have been declared red zones.
