CHANDIGARH: One out of every four persons, mostly asymptomatic, tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month in Punjab was a contact of a laboratory confirmed case.
Between July 25 and August 23, 1,452 cases were reported in the state, of which 363 were contacts — household, workplace and community — of positive cases.
The state health department’s data reveals that the percentage of contacts getting infected from positive cases stands at 24%. District-wise analysis of the status of contacts tested shows that 60% of close contacts in Sangrur were found positive, 59% in Muktsar, 38% in Patiala, 32% in Ferozepur, 22% in Fatehgarh Sahib and 11% in Amritsar.
The seven-day average of contact tracing ratio has ranged between 14 and 20 contacts per case. Contact tracing — the process of identifying the source of infection and tracking people the patients had met before testing positive — is considered as one of the key measures in breaking the chain of transmission.
As per the laid down guidelines for contact tracing of confirmed cases, close contacts are quarantined for 14 days from the date of last exposure. A contact is tested and quarantined on the basis of risk assessment involving factors like proximity (less than 1 metre) duration (more than 15 minutes) and nature of exposure.
In case a contact turns symptomatic during the observation period, the person is immediately isolated and test conducted by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) while asymptomatic contacts of a confirmed case are tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming in contact.
There are about 700 teams deployed in tracing the contacts in all the districts. Districts with heavy caseload have been given more number of teams.
Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar maintained that the state health department is maintaining a desirable number of tracing and testing of contacts. “Regular monitoring is being done to ensure that contact tracing and testing is up to the mark,” said Dr Bhaskar.
In the last one week, 16 contacts per case were traced on an average in Punjab the number of which was 28.9 in Faridkot, 22.5 in Amritsar and 20.6 in Mohali.
Dip in death count
In the last week, 10 deaths were reported from across the state, the number of which was 20 a week before. No death was reported from 13 districts while eight districts reported one each. Nawanshahr recorded the highest of two deaths during the period.
