DM orders Health Dept to ensure full Covid preparedness despite low case numbers
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal has directed all hospitals under the Health department to remain on alert and prepare a detailed report of all available medical equipment, including oxygen plants after three people were recently tested positive for Covid-19 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh. He instructed that preparations must be made at the same level as during the previous Covid wave, regardless of the current low number of cases.
The DM held a review meeting with senior officials of the Health department on Sunday to assess the present situation and available resources. He instructed that hospitals must ensure the availability of Covid beds, oxygen cylinders, essential medicines, vaccines, ventilators, oxygen concentrators, ICU beds and testing facilities. Hospitals have been asked to identify isolation wards and maintain readiness for emergency situations.
The district administration has called for the full deployment of sampling teams, mobile teams, Covid control rooms, staff duty plans, ambulances and other vehicles and resources. Hospitals must ensure the availability of TrueNat, Antigen Rapid and RT-PCR testing. All samples that test positive through RT-PCR must be sent for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to Government Doon Medical College hospital. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) must be updated with the data through the IHIP portal, he said. Bansal also urged the public to get tested immediately upon showing any Covid symptoms and to self-isolate. He advised people to avoid crowded places as much as possible.
The officials informed the DM that three individuals recently tested positive for Covid at AIIMS Rishikesh. They had travelled from Gujarat, Mumbai and Hyderabad. One has returned to Mumbai, while the other two are in isolation, one at home and one in a hospital and both are stable.
According to the Health department, Dehradun has collected 36 samples, with only the three positive cases linked to travel from other states. There are no reports of local transmission in Uttarakhand. Bansal said that India has reported 58 new Covid cases in the past week, with a recent rise in cases in Hong Kong and Singapore and Dehradun district should also remain fully prepared to tackle any intense situation.
