A lapse in response time to trace people in Telangana with COVID was exposed as there was at least one day delay in tracing the 23-year-old Somali man infected with Omicron.
Samples collected from him were sent for genome sequencing on Monday (December 13) after he tested positive. However, efforts were not made to trace him even after knowing his COVID status.
The efforts were initiated after the genome sequencing results, received on Tuesday night (December 14), revealed that he had Omicron. Before that, he went to at least two corporate hospitals in Hyderabad after landing here on December 12.
The Somalian was traced on Wednesday afternoon when he stepped out of an auto.
When Director of Public Health Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao was asked about the possibility of the foreign national coming in contact with a large number of people, he said that would be done.
What followed the lapse in response time was hectic activity by Health staff to trace everyone he had come in contact with including people at hospitals, at Tolichowki where he was residing, and other places. The Health staff have collected samples from more than 500 people in Paramount Colony for RT PCR tests till Thursday night.
No food, no water
Around 25 Health teams have been on the task of collecting samples from foreign nationals residing in Paramount Colony, Tolichowki. Each team had a lab technician, Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM), and an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA).
However, the tired staff said that food, water and other resources were not provided to them during their elaborate ground work. They went from door to door to collect samples for RT PCR tests.
Their work started at around 7.30 a.m. on Wednesday and ended at 11 p.m. The schedule was almost the same on Thursday too.
“We are not provided food and water. We had to buy it ourselves while on the job,” said a Health worker.
