18 hours ago
Nellore reports seven Covid-19 cases, DM&HO intensifies vigilance
The health department on Saturday intensified Covid-19 monitoring and containment measures after seven positive cases were reported in SPSR Nellore district. The District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) has initiated several measures on the instructions of Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Andhra Pradesh.
The VRDL (Virus Research And Diagnostic Laboratory Network) had conducted 12 RT-PCR tests on the patients at ACSR Government Medical College and General Hospital (GGH) and confirmed six Covid-19 cases in the combined Nellore district on Friday. Later, another case was reportedly found on Saturday.
Nellore DM&HO Dr. V. Sujatha said that the department has immediately tested 27 persons who were primary contacts of the patients. Except one, rest of them tested negative. Now, the contacts of the person who tested positive will undergo the tests. All the patients are presently having mild symptoms and are staying at home isolation with good health condition.
With the increasing Covid-19 cases across the State and country, the DM&HO has appointed District Surveillance Officer Dr. Bhaskar Singamsetty as a nodal officer to monitor the cases and submit the GGH preparedness assessment data through IHIP (Integrated Health Information Platform) portal.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Bhaskar said, 'After Omicron, the individuals were found to be infected with the new Covid-19 subvariants—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7. These are mild variants with symptoms including cough, cold, throat pain and fever for three days. To stop spreading the disease, we have notified guidelines to the public to avoid mass gathering and wear masks.'
About 1,000 kits for RAT (Rapid Antigen Tests) were distributed to 80 PHCs in the district. If anyone tested positive, they were immediately moved to the district hospital for the RT-PCR test as it is available only at GGH and few corporate hospitals like Narayana, Apollo and Medicover in the district, he said.
The nodal officer further said, 'We are conducting house to house survey for identifying the primary and secondary contacts of the positive patients. We continuously follow-up the patients in home isolation for one week. The alerts were given to all PHCs and UPHCs regarding the influenza patients.'
GGH Superintendent Dr. B. S. Naik said that a special ward has been set up with 30 beds for the Covid-19 patients in the pulmonology department having more than 14 doctors and 12 nurses. Apart from this, the GGH is ready to arrange another 40-bed ward for the Covid-19 patients if the number of cases go up.
