A close watch on ILI, SARI cases and a daily target of 400 tests given to Health Officers

Mysuru: As COVID pandemic is resurfacing across the world, the authorities are facing pressure to continue to protect the public, communities, students and faculty, physicians and frontline staff in new and different ways.

A strong suppression strategy based on testing, tracing and treatment (3T model) as per the new guidelines is critical to reducing infection rates and mitigating the risks of operating amid a health crisis.

At a COVID strategy meeting held yesterday at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, DC Dr. K.V. Rajendra emphasised the need to increase focus on effective testing, tracing, treatment and surveillance to bring the disease under control. And as if to send a message to the public on the importance of wearing masks, all the participants of meeting sported masks.

Health authorities have been asked to ensure people attending indoor gatherings wear masks as a safety measure, though wearing of masks have not been made mandatory as of now.

Close watch on SARI and ILI cases

The Department of Health and Family Welfare in Mysuru has been asked to keep a close watch on the Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) and a target of 400 tests must be achieved daily, the DC directed.

The tests have already begun at all the Taluk and District Government Hospitals and the number will go up from the existing 150 to 400. Officers have been told to keep an eye on seniors who come to the hospital for cold, cough and respiratory problems.

“There are four COVID positive cases in Mysuru at present and they are getting treatment under home isolation. There is no need to panic but precautions are a must,” he said.

The meeting discussed separate advisories issued by the Centre and the State over the precautions to be adopted against the new variant and increasing vaccination coverage. District Health Officer Dr. K.H. Prasad, ZP CEO B.R. Poornima, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute Dean and Director Dr. Dakshayani and other district-level and Taluk-level officers were present.

 Stepping up surveillance

The DC has also directed to step up surveillance and increase the tests of SARI and ILI patients on arrival at the hospitals. However, there will be no public testing at various crowded places as of now as the situation does not warrant it. An exclusive kiosk will be set up at the Mysore Airport at Mandakalli to screen international travellers.

A decision has been taken to reserve 50 isolation beds each at the District Hospital on KRS Road and K.R. Hospital in city. Five isolation beds must be made available at all taluk hospitals and all oxygen generation plants in district must be checked and tested to face emergencies.

Booster dose

Only 27 percent population in Mysuru have taken the booster dose and keeping in mind the low target, the DC has asked officers to encourage eligible people to avail booster doses.

Genome-Sequencing Lab at K.R. Hospital to test samples

A Genome-Sequencing Laboratory has been set up at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) and samples from the district will undergo sequencing tests, said District Health Officer Dr.  K.H. Prasad.

The lab has come up on the first floor of the Radiology Laboratory in K.R. Hospital where earlier skin-disease patients were housed and this lab is linked to the state-of-the-art Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at the Department of Microbiology in MMC&RI.

There are three Regional Genome Sequencing Laboratories in Bengaluru — National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), National Institute of Virology — Field Unit and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).

In order to derive the meaningful information from the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and to facilitate the smooth flow of samples to the Regional Genome Sequencing Laboratories, five tertiary care facilities and five laboratories have been identified as sentinel sites. The lab at MMC&RI is one such sentinel site.

Till now, all the samples were being sent to NIMHANS and the other two Regional Genome-Sequencing Laboratories in Bengaluru. “An advisory has been given for increasing genome sequencing in view of the new B7 variant of Coronavirus which is making a big surge in China. We are stepping up sequencing tests in Mysuru,” the DHO said.

During the peak of the second wave of COVID-19, the State Government had declared to set up six genome-sequencing labs in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura.