Kotkapura locality a containment zone, admn to begin pool testing

AT PRESENT, 15 PATIENTS OF THE CONTAINMENT ZONE ARE UNDERGOING TREATMENT AT GURU GOBIND SINGH MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL

FARIDKOT: A locality in Kotkapura town of Faridkot district was declared a containment zone on Wednesday after 15 members of an extended family tested positive over the last four days.

Deputy commissioner Kumar Saurabh Raj said, “Mehnga Ram Street, Surgapuri, on Muktsar Road has been declared a containment zone and the area has been sealed. All the surrounding shops have also been closed.”

“At present, 15 patients of the containment zone are undergoing treatment at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH),” he said.

20 CASES REPORTED IN FOUR DAYS

Kotkapura has reported 20 positive cases over the last four days.

After a sudden spike in cases in Kotkapura, the Faridkot administration has decided to start pool testing of samples to detect asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19.

So far, the district has reported 85 cases, of which 60 have recovered.

The DC said, “To increase the pace of testing, we have decided to use pool sampling. We will test more people in the Kotkapura to find out what percentage of the community had been infected, so that we can break the chain of spread. People are recommended to stay indoors to avoid getting infected and should strictly follow social distancing norms.”

“For pool testing, samples will be collected from asymptomatic patients, including people who are secondary contacts of positive cases, during community survey and surveillance. Those who have come in direct contact with active cases will be tested individually,” he said.

“We will collect five to 10 samples in one pool. The guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will be followed. Random sampling and pool testing are ways to ramp up testing,” a health official said.

WHAT IS POOL TESTING?

In pool testing, throat or nasal swabs from several people are mixed and tested as a single unit. All individual samples in a negative pool are deemed as having tested negative; if a pooled sample tests positive, each person in the pool is tested individually to find the infected party.