Mumbai civic body finds 35% coronavirus patients through ‘contact tracing’

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been able to identify 35% of the total Covid-19 patients through its “contact tracing method”. Through this method,

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been able to identify 35% of the total Covid-19 patients through its “contact tracing method”. Through this method, the civic body identifies all high-risk and low-risk contacts of the respective patient to check if they display any Covid-19 symptoms.

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Of the total 73 patients, who tested positive in Mumbai, around 25 were traced through this method, and using the same technique, 819 others, who came into contact with infected persons, were advised home quarantine. “Contact tracing is a very important method to avoid further spread of disease. Using this method, we have successfully traced 25 positive patients. These are the people who came in close contact with infected persons,” said Dr Daksha Shah, BMC health officer.

Elaborating on the method, Shah said that as soon as BMC confirms any coronavirus positive case, the health department swings into action. After getting details like the address of the patients, a special team identifies all high and low-risk contacts of the respective patient. After cross-checking his/her travel history, health staff track every person who has come in contact with an infected person for possible symptoms.

As per guidelines issued by the Union health ministry, BMC draws up a list of housing societies within a 3-km radius of the house of an infected person. Officials then start a door-to-door campaign to check for coronavirus symptoms among residents. The contacts are then divided into three categories — A, B (high risk), and C (low risk). In A category, all high-risk contacts, including all family members, are traced. In the B category, contacts over 60 years old are traced, and in C category, all low-risk contacts are identified.

BMC health department the advises institutional quarantine for those who fall in the high-risk category. All contacts in the low-risk category are advised home quarantine for 14 days.

As per the guidelines, BMC has set up a special team for telephonic follow-ups of those under home quarantine, to get their daily health status update. If anybody shows coronavirus symptoms, health staffers immediately suggest they get tested.

As of now, 1,703 Covid-19 suspected patients have been admitted at hospitals, of which 73 from Mumbai have tested positive.