The Kanpur administration has asked the medical store owners to maintain data of people buying paracetamol and other drugs usually taken for flu-like symptoms. The move is aimed at tracking possible coronavirus suspects.
Patients of coronavirus too show similar symptoms though doctors confirm that all those who have fever or cold aren’t necessarily infected with corona.
Doctors, particularly general physicians running private clinics, too have been asked to maintain data of patients showing corona-related symptoms and report such cases to health authorities.
Kanpur district magistrate Brahmdev Ram Tiwari has ordered all medical stores to note down the name and details of buyers of medicines given for fever, cold and flu and provide it to officials of food and drug authority.
Kanpur drug inspector Sandesh Kumar said all medical stores in the district had been intimated about the DM’s circular on WhatsApp. There are 6000 wholesale and drug retailers in Kanpur.
“The data of buyers maintained at the medical stores would be shared with the chief medical officer (CMO) and then all such people would be tested for coronavirus infection and quarantined for a period of 14 days,” said a health department official requesting anonymity.
Senior functionary of the Kanpur Drug Wholeseller Association Sanjay Mehrotra confirmed the circular had been received and retailers had been informed about the new directives in Kanpur. While the commissioner Kanpur Division, SM Bobde has extended this exercise to all the six districts of Kanpur division where stores would maintain data though he couldn’t be contacted despite many attempts.
{{/usCountry}}Senior functionary of the Kanpur Drug Wholeseller Association Sanjay Mehrotra confirmed the circular had been received and retailers had been informed about the new directives in Kanpur. While the commissioner Kanpur Division, SM Bobde has extended this exercise to all the six districts of Kanpur division where stores would maintain data though he couldn’t be contacted despite many attempts.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said that the decision to keep details of those buying drugs for fever, cough and cold was taken at the DM’s meeting with health officials two days ago in which great emphasis was laid on tracing and testing of corona suspects.
Four testing labs for Covid-19 cases would become functional shortly in Kanpur at LLR hospital, Kanshiram Trauma Centre, Ursula Horseman hospital and Infectious Diseases hospital.
Of the four testing facilities the first one at LLR hospital was inaugurated on Monday. The lab could test 100 samples in a day, said principal of GSVM medical college Aarti Lalchandani.
So far the samples were being sent to King George Medical University (KGMU) and Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) in Lucknow.
A senior doctor who is part of the CMO’s team said once all the four centres are operational 400 samples would be tested locally.
“We were lagging in tests just because of our dependence on Lucknow,” the doctor said.