GB Nagar achieves over 100% of Covid samples target for three consecutive days

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar achieved over 100% of its target of collecting 3,000 samples for Covid-19 test a day for the third consecutive day on Sunday during

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar achieved over 100% of its target of collecting 3,000 samples for Covid-19 test a day for the third consecutive day on Sunday during the four-day surveillance drive. Aimed to check the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the district administration has started camps for testing of general public through rapid antigen kits at five different locations every day in the district from Friday.

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During the three-day period, a total of 9,585 samples were tested through rapid antigen kits, of which 145 were found positive for the virus, district administration officials said.

“On the first day of this drive, the district achieved over 100% of its target as 3,020 persons were tested through rapid antigen kits, of which 46 were reported positive. Similarly, on Saturday, 3,365 persons were tested, of which 57 were found positive. And, on Sunday, samples of over 3,200 people were taken, of which 42 have tested positive,” said Suhas LY, district magistrate, GB Nagar.

Enthused with the active participation of the general people in the drive, Suhas said that it is being considered to continue the drive in the other localities also. “Now, it is open for the general public. Even those who don’t have any specific symptom of Covid-19 can also be tested at these public camps,” he said.

The DM further said that apart from testing through rapid antigen kits, over 1,600 persons have been tested through lab-based reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Of 1,600 people, 513 were tested on Friday, 793 on Saturday and 345 on Sunday. “Their results will come in a day or two,” he said.

Suhas said that a requisition of 100,000 rapid antigen kits for the month of July had been sent to the state government. “We have so far received around 25,000 kits. Since there is no dearth of testing kits and beds in the district, all the officials have been asked to intensify the testing across the district. Now, the trend indicates that the rise of cases in the district is going on a consistent graph, which is a very encouraging sign,” he said.

Experts feel that intensified surveillance has brought many positive indications for the residents of GB Nagar. Dr Gyanendra Kumar, officer on special duty (OSD) to state government and professor at Jhansi medical college, said that the results of these camps have made clear that positivity rate in the district is low. “The number of active cases is almost the same for the past 15 days and even the casualty is not only due to Covid-19. Almost all the deceased were also suffering from some other chronic diseases,” Kumar said.

On Sunday, GB Nagar reported 125 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally of positive cases to 4,155 in the district, according to the daily health bulletin released by the state control room. With one more death due to the infection, the toll reached 39 on Sunday, the bulletin stated. The district now has 973 active cases, it said.