A two-member team of officials from the Union Health Ministry, deputed by the Centre to assess the COVID-19 situation in the State, has stressed the need to strengthen contact tracing in the capital district.
They also raised caution at the possibility of yet another surge in active cases during the upcoming Onam festival season.
The team comprised Ruchi Jain, public health specialist at the Regional Office for Health and Family Welfare in Thiruvananthapuram and S. Vinod Kumar, Senior Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.
The officials began their tour of the district with a visit to General Hospital which has been functioning as a COVID-19 hospital. They later later interacted with District Collector Navjot Khosa and senior district health officials before proceeding for various containment zones including those in Malayinkeezhu and Kalliyoor grama panchayats. The team also visited the Chala market for a first-hand view of the arrangements in the shopping centre that normally teems with traders and customers during festival seasons.
Emerging from the meeting, District Medical Officer K.S. Shinu said that the Central team expressed their satisfaction with the district’s handling of the second COVID-19 wave as well as the medical facilities that were in place. The steady fall in caseload and test positivity rate (TPR) were also seen as a result of intensified containment activities.
“They, however, expression concern at the possibility of the case graph peaking by August end or September after plateauing currently. The phased return to normal life in view of the falling TPR could be marked by intense activity during the Onam season. Like the last year, we cannot afford to celebrate with gay abandon. Such a stance could potentially lead to a hazardous situation during the third wave,” he said.
Dr. Shinu also hinted at steps to intensify contact tracing that seemed to have lost steam during the last few months. The Central team is expected to visit Kollam and Pathanamthitta during the next days.
