The state’s Covid-19 task force members have stressed on testing all the symptomatic people in the districts.“There should be enough participation from both, the government and the private sector, to ensure that no symptomatic person avoids testing.
PUNE: The state’s Covid-19 task force members have stressed on testing all the symptomatic people in the districts.
“There should be enough participation from both, the government and the private sector, to ensure that no symptomatic person avoids testing. Even if Omicron is seen with mild symptoms, Delta and its lineages are still circulating. So, testing of symptomatic people cannot be compromised with,” said task force member Dr Rahul Pandit.
On the private sector’s participation in the counselling of residents on testing, Dr Sanjay Patil, chairman, Hospital Board of India, IMA, told TOI that he had reached out to all the members to help counsel residents if they received calls regarding testing. He said, “The overall Covid testing numbers were decreasing. Mostly, symptomatic patients are getting tested now. Their contacts are preferring to wait, but are following the guidelines, especially isolation and sanitisation. The reluctance of some people to undergo testing can lead to complications because the Delta variant is still present and that is definitely a major concern.”
The overall testing decreased in many districts after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued a fresh guideline, focused on testing only symptomatic people. But symptomatic people, too, seemed to be avoiding test, claimed the state task force members after the state cabinet report stated that 25 districts had a higher weekly positivity rate (WPR) than the state average of 17%.
State task force member Dr Shashank Joshi told TOI that symptomatic people were not undergoing tests in many districts. “Any person with flu-like system should get himself/herself tested for Covid-19 in these times. One cannot neglect it. There is a need for information, education and counselling for more awareness among citizens,” he said.
He also stressed on the need to test those vulnerable with comorbidities. “We cannot be complacent in any way. The motive is two-fold: save every life and ensure people do not get severe disease,” he said.
Dr Joshi said the predominant strain in the state now was Omicron, with occasional Delta. “But complacency should not affect those who might have Delta, which may land them in hospitals,” he said. The recent cabinet data stated that nearly 7% of the coronavirus-infected people needed hospitalisation and not many of them had severe disease.
The task force member said, “There is a decline in cases now and the health infrastructure system has not been majorly affected.”
