UP to conduct more rapid antigen tests, use drones to monitor containment zones

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, during a video conferencing with officials of different districts on Friday night, directed that antigen testing be

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, during a video conferencing with officials of different districts on Friday night, directed that antigen testing be ramped up and drone cameras be used for monitoring containment zones, besides having special cleanliness and sanitisation drives every weekend.

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Adityanath directed the health department to conduct a minimum of 500 rapid antigen daily in districts having a population less than 25 lakh and 1,000 such tests daily in districts having a population exceeding 25 lakh. The state health department has been directed to ensure that sufficient kits -- 5,000 in smaller districts and 10,000 in big districts -- be made available.

“Although Adityanath has directed that 1,000 antigen tests be conducted in districts like Ghaziabad that have a population exceeding 25 lakh, we will be conducting up to 3,000-3,500 antigen tests daily. The 1,000 tests per day limit is a minimum but we plan to do more for about a month in order to filter out all suspected cases of ILI(influenza like illness) and SARI (severe acute respiratory infections). Once comprehensive testing is done, we expect that active containment of Covid-19 infection will help reduce the number of cases,” said Ajay Shankar Pandey, Ghaziabad district magistrate.

Overall, till July 17, the Ghaziabad district has a total of 3,902 Covid-19 cases and 63 deaths,of which 1,560 cases are currently active. The district has tested 61,292 samples till July 17 which includes 30,497 antigen tests.

The district magistrate also said he had roped in a ‘sector scheme’ which was a component meant for better enforcement in containment zones in areas such as Khoda, Loni and Vaishali.

“We have on our radar areas which have a high number of cases since March. So, we have also planned that sector scheme may be implemented in localities if the cases fail to reduce. This will help in breaking the chain of infection and has helped us previously in the three localities. Through our records, we have also come to know about people who are yet to be traced. We are taking the help of police surveillance,” Pandey added.

According to the latest list of containment zones, as of July 10, the district has 189 category-1 zones (having one case) and 173 category-2 zones (having more than one case).

According to health department’s mapping figure, as of July 14, the district had 3,458 cases, with Karhera-2 segment comprising Indirapuram, Makanpur and Kanawani localities having the highest number cases at 403, while the segment of Sahibabad-2, comprising areas of Lajpat Nagar, Rajendra Nagar and Shalimar Garden had 261 cases. This was followed by Carte segment having localities of Kavi Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Nehru Nagar with 238 cases.

The Ghaziabad police said they have two drones available with them but they are also making use of drones available with private agencies for monitoring containment areas and weekend curfew.

“The SHOs of all the 18 police station areas have been asked to rope in surveillance drones to ensure strict adherence to weekend restrictions. In our drive since March, we have lodged 2,339 FIRs against different persons for violation of lockdown norms,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police.

According to police records, they have fined 31,663 persons till July 17 for not wearing a mask. On this account, police have collected about ₹39 lakh in fines. Till July 17, they have also penalised 5,766 persons for violating lockdown norms and health protocols.

MISMATCH IN GHAZIABAD’s COVID TALLY 

The daily health bulletin released by the state control room on July 18 had mismatch figures for Ghaziabad district as it displayed total 3,902 cases, the same figure reported on July 17.

On July 17, the control room figures stood at overall 3,902 cases including 2279 patients discharged from hospitals, 63 deaths and 1560 active cases. The figure included 139 fresh cases as well.

However, on July 18, the figures indicated 2,305 patients discharged from hospitals, 63 deaths and 1,534 active cases, while the cases reported in the last 24 hours were 104 and 26 patients had been discharged. The total figure released on July 18 should have been 3,980.

“There is a mismatch in the data of the control room as their count includes some duplicate records and some cross-notified patients who have been (transferred) to other districts. But this is not indicated in the report. We will convey the issue to the control room,” said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer.