Noida: RWAs, social groups asked to help admin set up Covid-19 testing camps

The move, officials said, will help them identify infected patients early and treat them properly with the final goal of reducing the death rate in the district.

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has asked social groups —such as apartment owners associations and residents’ welfare associations — to contact them for setting up of camps in their respective housing societies for Covid-19 testing.

On Saturday a total of 3,365 people were administered the antigen tests, out of which 57 tested positive. All those who tested positive were given a second RT-PCR test. (Sunil Ghosh/HT file photo)

The move, officials said, will help them identify infected patients early and treat them properly with the final goal of reducing the death rate in the district.

“Apartment owners associations, residents’ welfare associations, village heads or other such groups can approach the incident commanders to organize the camps to conduct test of suspected residents in their societies. We want to ensure that a patient gets treatment as early as possible under this scheme as it will help us in containing this disease,” said Narendra Bhooshan, CEO of Greater Noida authority, who is nodal officer for Gautam Budh Nagar district.

The administration has been focusing on early detection of cases in Gautam Budh Nagar to stem the spread of infection, which crossed the 4,000 cases mark on Saturday

“We will organise camps for antigen tests not only in containment zones but also in other areas as well. We have appealed to apartment owners associations and residents’ welfare associations and village heads to come forward and ensure all suspected or vulnerable people get tested. If need be then RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests will also be done for re-confirmation, so that treatment can start promptly,” said Bhooshan.

On Saturday a total of 3,365 people were administered the antigen tests, out of which 57 tested positive. All those who tested positive were given a second RT-PCR test.

“We are daily conducting at least 3,000 antigen tests at camps, hospitals and other places. Our focus is to reduce the death rate to less than 1% in our district. And we can do that only if the residents support us and volunteer for testing,” said Bhooshan.

The Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said that they are roping in the social groups via incident commanders and health officials.

“Apartment owners associations, residents’ welfare associations and other social groups can express their views and give suggestions on our portal,” said Suhas LY district magistrate GB Nagar.

“We got an antigen camp conducted at our society where 75 people got their tests done. All of them tested negative. Everyone who got tested did so voluntarily. We feel some people fear getting tested. We appeal to such residents to not be scared and willingly step forward to get tested for their own safety,” said Rajiva Singh, president of Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations.