Covid crisis: Ghaziabad testing takes a hit in past three days

Ghaziabad: Amid the rising Covid-19 cases, the number of testing in the district has declined considerably in the past three days since Diwali. The district health

Ghaziabad: Amid the rising Covid-19 cases, the number of testing in the district has declined considerably in the past three days since Diwali. The district health department data shows that a daily average of only about 2,015 samples were tested during the period from November 14 to 16.

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Also, unlike Noida where the officials have come up with a strategy to randomly test incoming commuters from Delhi starting Wednesday, the Ghaziabad administration at present does not have a strategy in place to deal with any cross-border infection.

On November 12, the state government in its directions had revised the rapid antigen test target for Ghaziabad from 2,000 samples per day to 3,500 samples, besides the regular RT-PCR tests.

According to the records of the health department, the district on November 14 took up 2,073 tests, 1,791 on November 15 and 2,180 on November 16. However, during the first 12 days in November, the district was conducting on average about 4,000 tests per day. The overall positivity in the district is about 4.23% with 489,533 tests done which yielded 20,723 positive cases so far. The testing data for November 13 was not available with the health department.

“The reduction in testing is due to absence of staff who have gone on leaves during Diwali and also for Chhath Puja. However, we are expecting that testing will increase, and we will be able to achieve the target as well in coming days,” said an officer from the district health department who wished not to be quoted.

On Tuesday, the district had a total of 1,233 active cases, while it reported 44 new cases.

District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey on Tuesday did not respond to repeated calls made to him for his response about the low testing and any plan in the city to deal with cross-border infection. He, however, shared inputs through a message that the district has planned focussed testing of different high-risk groups in urban slums, government and private offices, schools and markets during a drive which has been planned from November 19 to November 30.

The district had also been suffering from shortage of rapid antigen kits which were later arranged from neighbouring districts and from Lucknow. On November 12, the district had exhausted its entire stock of rapid antigen kits.

The overall monthly testing has also reduced in November. In 16 days of November, the district has conducted about 3,401 tests per day, while the per day testing was about 4,066 in October. In September, per day testing was about 3,928 while it was around 2,967 tests per day in August, the official records showed.

Experts said during the present times it is vital that the testing should be increased.

“Since people have already mixed up in markets and public places during the festival season, it is time that testing should be increased further. The rise in cases in Delhi indicates that there is every likelihood that cases in neighbouring areas will also increase. The health department has limited resources, but the strategy should have been planned beforehand when the cases spiked in Delhi,” said Dr VB Jindal, former president of Indian Medical Association – Ghaziabad.

Shailendra Singh, additional district magistrate (city), said that he held a meeting with members of Chhath Puja association and has asked them to avoid large gatherings at the banks of river Hindon during the festival on November 20.

“We have made elaborate arrangements at 53 places in Ghaziabad where sanitization will also be taken up. We have also asked the families to allow only one member to come for performing Puja at the river banks. So, this will prevent any large gatherings,” Singh added.