Punjab set to start random sampling from tomorrow

FRESH GUIDELINES Exercise to aim at containing virus spread by testing high-risk health workers, others performing frontline duties, besides pregnant women, their attendants

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government is likely to start random testing of samples for the coronavirus in the all the districts from Thursday following the fresh guidelines of the Union health and family welfare ministry.

“We plan to start random sampling within a day or two as per procedure notified by the central ministry. The district authorities have been asked to chalk out a plan in this regard. The aim of the testing is to check the spread of the virus at the community level,” said Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, state health department’s spokesperson for Covid-19.

As per Union health ministry’s guidelines, the district health authorities will collect 200 random samples daily as they do for RT-PCR tests from each district. These samples will be tested in a pool of 25 each.

“If the pool sample is found negative, it would mean all samples

are negative for Covid-19. However, if the result is positive, all 25 samples will individually be put for testing to clear the status of every individual,” a civil surgeon said.

The guidelines say 200 samples will include 100 samples of healthcare workers, including those from six public and four private facilities, while 50 samples will be taken from outpatient attendants and pregnant women.

The state health department is also planning to include in the testing the police personnel on frontline duties after few more days.

Though the department was already collecting random samples but they were of symptomatic patients visiting the flu centres or the private healthcare facilities. “We are also using pool testing of five samples per pool to check the community spread and the majority of them have turned out to be negative. But as most of the positive persons don’t show any symptom, the new Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines would give the exact idea of the spread among the frontline warriors and lowrisk persons,” a senior health official said.

The new random sampling will be conducted in a focused manner and the idea is to contain the spread of the virus by testing high-risk health workers and low-risk pregnant women and their attendants.

This sampling will be in addition to the testing being done already by the district authorities. Apart from taking throat and nasal swabs, blood samples will also be collected during the random

sampling process.

“We have been asked to take blood samples as the Union health ministry subsequently plans to further check these samples in IgG ELISA testing kits

recently developed by the National Institute of Virology, Pune,” an official said.

The testing kit can check 90 samples together in two-and-ahalf hours.

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