Bhubaneswar: The state government, Saturday, launched a large-scale coronavirus sample test campaign in the state capital here with help of 13 designated teams formed by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), officials said.
Around 5,000 samples would be tested from Bhubaneswar alone as the Capital has emerged as one of the hotspots of COVID-19, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said Friday.
Each team consists of a doctor, teacher, police officer and sanitation staff.
Apart from sample test, the BMC has simultaneously launched an enumeration programme to enlist vulnerable groups like vegetable and grocery vendors, medicine store employees, doctors and hospital staff who are exposed outside while providing health care service to the people, said BMC deputy zonal officer Ansuman Rath.
“The BMC has also started the slum assessment programme conducted by ASHA workers to collect the travel history and the flu symptoms of the slum dwellers. On the basis of the list, we will conduct the test of these slum dwellers on the next day,” he said.
So far, Odisha has tested 8,619 samples and 8,558 samples came negative with 61 positive cases till April 18.
“The BMC has also started the slum assessment programme conducted by ASHA workers to collect the travel history and the flu symptoms of the slum dwellers. On the basis of the list, we will conduct the test of these slum dwellers on the next day,” he said.
The teams will collect samples in two shifts everyday for seven days from 8 am to 11 am and later from 4 pm to 6 pm, the BMC said in a release.
Under the Bhubaneswar Strategy, the state government has prepared a priority list. The Category-1 involves the people having travel history to foreign countries or to any corona hotspot within the country, persons having flu symptoms, people who have come in contact with identified COVID-19 patients, persons having severe acute respiratory illness (SARI).
Under Category-II, people working in police, health sector, and those engaged in sanitation activities are included, while Category-III will have people at the age of 60 years or above and people having multiple co-morbid conditions.