Must intensify mass testing drive
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 07, 2021 -
IN-SPITE of the significant improvement in the number of tests being conducted on a daily basis, there has been plateauing of the daily new cases for nearly a week now after the state saw the highest spike of 1032 infections on May 30.
The state managing to bring down the infection count after the record spike amid the on-going mass testing drive, constant effort of the government to ensure availability of life saving equipment and medicines in various healthcare centres and increasing the number community home isolation centres validates effectiveness of the experts' advice to follow the protocols of trace, test and treat.
While credit for the gradual improvement in the pandemic situation definitely goes to the healthcare service providers and all the frontline workers for their untiring efforts, it's an undeniable fact that ramping up of tests both at the designated centres and by the mobile testing teams has been contributing a lot in timely detection of the vectors and in preventing spread of the contagion.
Since launch of the 'aggressive mass testing drive' in virus hotspot Imphal West district, presence of infected people among the general population is being confirmed.
The numbers of positive cases unearthed during the mass testing drive may be far lesser than those detected at hospitals and designated laboratories but importance of continuing with identifying localities and examining the populace cannot be undermined as is evident from around 101 positive cases that cropped up out of 2172 people put through the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) at 21 venues in Imphal West district on the fifth day of the mass testing drive on Saturday.
Regardless of the high rate of infection in the urban pockets of the district, multiple cases of the infectious disease detected at suburban and rural areas such as Samurou, Lamdeng, Heibongpokpi, Kadangband, Khaidem, Nambol Phoijing, Phumlou, Mayang Imphal, etc., is equally worrisome as these infected people could have easily become super spreaders.
Similarly, the notification issued for operators of shops dealing in essential commodities to get tested and possess Covid negative certificate should be enforced stringently to prevent retailers and customers of goods from contracting the virus and infecting others.
As only a few activities are allowed during the lockdown period, ensuring that the shop owners and their salespersons are free from the virus should be accorded top priority if the state is to be expeditiously extricated from the crisis situation.
In view of the positive cases reported from all parts of the state, finding sources of spread of the virus at this juncture would be akin to the proverbial 'looking for a needle in a haystack'.
Thus, the focus should be towards effective implementation of the government's preventive measures along with intensifying the mass testing drive in areas having multiple cases of infected cases.
Under no circumstance should the government construe the marginal decline in the number of daily cases as a sign of winning the battle, especially in view of the experts cautioning possibility of the third wave of the pandemic.
The second wave has already taught a bitter lesson to all that the guard cannot be lowered until there is clear evidence that the virus has been completely wiped out.
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