Ghaziabad:
As fresh cases continue to rise, district health department officials have turned their focus to containment zones and plan to take up 100% testing in such areas.
According to official figures, the district till September 6 had less number of category 2 containment zones than category 1. But more fresh cases are emerging from category 2 zones.
The district till September 6 had 336 containment zones, which include 196 in category 1 and 140 in category 2. The category 1 zones are confined to a 100-metre radius in case there is one fresh case. Category 2 zones are in a radius of 200 metres when there is more than one case.
It is further supplemented by a buffer zone on the periphery, which is defined on local assessment.
“Fresh cases are coming in and multiple cases in category 2 zones. It is so because activities have opened up and people are mixing. There are instances when one person from a family gets infected and others also get infected in return. To keep a check, we are planning that there should be 100% testing in containment zones as directed by the Indian Council for Medical Research,” said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer.
“We will make use of rapid antigen kits to ensure there is 100% testing and positive cases are isolated from the population,” he said.
According to officials, an estimated 100-150 houses are present in Ghaziabad in 100 metres while 200-250 houses in the 200-metre radius zones.
According to the list of containment zones published on the official website of Ghaziabad district, a high number of cases are emerging from category 2 zones .
In one such instance, the locality of Sanjay Nagar has a category 2 zone where 23 cases have emerged from August 26 to September 5. Likewise in Shastri Nagar, 21 cases have emerged in category 2 zones from August 26 to September 5.
A similar number of multiple cases has emerged in areas such as Shatabdipuram, Lal Kuan, Rakesh Marg, Shalimar Garden Extension-2, setcor-3 of Rajendra Nagar, Chander Nagar, Partap Vihar and areas of Farrukh Nagar, Asalatpur and Tila Morh.
The list indicates that the category 2 zones are witnessing high multiple Covid-19 cases, ranging anything between five to 26 cases.
“With activities opening up, it is now imperative that there should be focus on containment exercises. People will move out but there has to be control. It is advisable that 100% testing should be taken up in containment zones and those found positive should be immediately sent to isolation. This will help prevent others in the area from getting infected,” said Dr VB Jindal, president of Indian Medical Association, Ghaziabad.
According to health department statistics, Ghaziabad district on May 30 had 72 containment zones, including 65 under category 1 and seven under category 2. The figures on June 9 shot up to total of 217 with 188 containment zones under category 1 and another 29 under category 2.
On July 19, it was for the first time that category 2 zones surpassed category 1 zones. On that date, the district had 330 zones, including 168 under category 2 and 162 under category 1.
Under the containment zones, the officials have been directed to keep a strict perimeter control with only essential services allowed.
In the recent unlock 4 directions, UP chief secretary RK Tiwari said the lockdown in containment zones will continue till September 30. Containment zones are to be defined on the basis of July 24 directions where only essential services will be allowed.
According to the state control room figures of September 7, the district had 9,405 Covid-19 cases, including 1,436 active cases and 73 deaths to its tally.
September 08, 2020 at 01:37AM
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Focus on 100% testing, as cases swell in category 2 containment zones - Hindustan Times
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