Telangana: Door-to-door fever survey starts today amid uptick in Covid cases

The Telangana government has procured one crore home isolation kits to be given away to people identified with fever symptoms during the ongoing door-to-door survey.

Few vehicles are seen on roads at Mozamjahi Market in Hyderabad, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (PTI Photo/File)

Amid rising cases of Covid-19 in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron variant, the Telangana government will Friday commence a state-wide door-to-door fever survey to identify people with symptoms of the viral disease. Residents will be handed home isolation kits with necessary medicines, informed state Health Minister T Harish Rao.

The number of new infections per day crossed the 4,000-mark in Telangana on Thursday for the first time since the second wave. The health department reported 4,207 new cases and two deaths. The highest number of cases was reported in state capital Hyderabad (1,645), followed by adjoining districts Medchal Malkajgiri (380) and Rangareddy (336).

Stating that the government was fully capable of handling the pandemic, Rao said the idea behind the survey was to ensure symptomatic treatment without any delay. The departments of panchayat raj and municipal administration will collaborate with the health department.

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Further, the government has extended the prevailing pandemic-related restrictions in the state till January 31. These include a ban on mass gatherings, rallies, and public meetings. The government has also extended holidays to all educational institutions, except medical colleges, till January 30.

Rao said the state government’s fever survey during the second wave was duly lauded by the Niti Aayog as a role model and best practice for other states to adopt. “The survey helps to avoid people lining up at health clinics for testing. It takes healthcare to the people’s doorsteps.”

Also read | ‘Testing for Omicron unnecessary, community spread has started’: Telangana official

As per the health department’s daily bulletin, as many as 26,663 patients are currently undergoing treatment for Covid-19 across the state. Of them, 2,847 are admitted to various hospitals. The number of active cases as well as hospital admissions has been steadily rising for the last few weeks, though there has been no considerable change in the test positivity rate (TPR).

After the direction from Telangana High Court, the health department on Tuesday started conducting more than 1 lakh tests a day. The daily TPR stood at 3.82 per cent on Thursday. The highest TPR recorded during the ongoing wave was on January 9 when it touched 4.72 per cent. Since then, it has breached the 4 per cent mark only thrice, according to the health department’s statistics.

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Rao said the state has kept aside 54,640 beds for Covid treatment and has increased the production of medical oxygen to 327 MT/day. Of the 27,996 beds available in government hospitals, 25,390 are currently equipped with oxygen supply. Of the 2,847 patients currently in hospitals, 688 are in ICU and 1,187 are on oxygen support. The state has procured one crore home isolation kits to be given away to people identified with fever symptoms during the ongoing door-to-door survey.

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