Change in covid strategy needed for rising cases in five Ghaziabad hotspots, say experts

Ghaziabad: The residential segments of Indirapuram, Carte, Sahibabad-II, Raj Nagar and Vaishali have emerged as the top five major contributors to the number of

Ghaziabad: The residential segments of Indirapuram, Carte, Sahibabad-II, Raj Nagar and Vaishali have emerged as the top five major contributors to the number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Ghaziabad district, as per mapping done on directions of the Uttar Pradesh government for focussed surveillance. Experts said that a different strategy needs to be chalked out for such areas as their contribution to case tally is on the rise.

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According to the mapping done over from November 11 to November 20, the health department has found that residential segments of Indirapuram, Carte (comprising localities like Kavi Nagar, Avantika, Nehru Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Chiranjeev Vihar, among others), Sahibabad-II (Raj Bagh, Shalimar Garden, Rajendra Nagar and Lajpat Nagar among others), Raj Nagar and Vaishali occupy the top five spots in the list of areas having highest number of cases during the given period.

The five segments contribute about 56.82% share of the 1,260 Covid-19 cases which came up during the 10 days’ surveillance period.

Of the five, Indirapuram and Sahibabad-II have remained among the top five since June, while Indirapuram, Carte and Raj Nagar were in the top five in July, August, September and October.

Experts said that to tackle the recurrence of cases in such areas a shift in strategy is needed, as it seems that present efforts have not yielded effective results.

“If such areas are emerging as the top contributors then we must take strict containment. This would mean that areas of clusters or specific areas where cases have emerged need to be contained or shut down for effective surveillance and testing. If some areas are yielding the highest number of cases, then there seems to be gaps in strategy and needs review,” said Dr Ashish Agrawal, president of Indian Medical Association – Ghaziabad.

“Such areas generally have a common source of infection, which could also include service-providers or vendors in markets. So, there has to be effective surveillance and testing. Surveillance will also bring to notice if anyone is hiding his/her health conditions,” said Dr Lalit Kant, former epidemiology and communicable diseases head at the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

The government directions said that if within 24 hours three houses within a radius of 50 metres of each other, have one or more positive case each, then the entire area that falls under the radius will be identified as a cluster and a minimum of 100 houses in each such cluster will be subjected to focussed surveillance.

If there is only a single house within 50 metres that has a confirmed case, then the focussed surveillance will be extended to 50 houses around it. The government has not specified conditions for two houses with a Covid-19 positive patient.

Apart from houses, officials have also been directed to take up surveillance in nearby markets, shops, ration shops and milk booths, among others.

District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said he is working on a strategy to conduct surveillance and testing together.

“We feel that surveillance and testing together will prove effective rather than telling suspected persons to walk to the nearest testing centre to get tested. Further, rapid response teams which go to houses of home-isolated patients will now be accompanying lab technicians who will get contacts tested there and then,” Pandey said.

“Further, we are also planning to get some corporate social responsibility funds for getting more rapid antigen kits so that testing can be double the present capacity. The areas (with highest cases) are majorly having working class populations which also get affected by cross-border infection,” he said.