Jamshedpur, Dec. 27: Six residents of the East Singhbhum district, who returned from the United Kingdom recently, tested negative. The office of the integrated disease surveillance programme (IDSP) of the East Singhbhum district had conducted rapid antigen test and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test on the England returnees’ swab at Tata Main Hospital.
Amid the detection of coronavirus strain in the UK, which is said to be more infectious than the existing one, the move of conducting Covid-19 tests on the returnees has been started.
An official said while reports of all the rapid antigen tests done came late on Saturday evening tested Covid-19 negative, not all the reports done under RT-PCR test have not come yet.
“We are happy to share the results. Allreports done under RT-PCR test have come yet, but hopefully the report of the remaining tests will also come negative as there were no symptoms of the Covid-19 in them,” said the official.
He said beside the six persons which include a woman, the integrated disease surveillance programme officials had conducted both the rapid antigen test and RT PCR on 34 others who had come in contact with the England returnees during the period of December 11 to December 20 when they reached the steel city.
He said though all the returnees who tested negative in both the tests tested negative, they have been asked to remain in home isolation for the next one week.
“Along with the England returnees, those who had come in contact with them have also been instructed to remain under home quarantine strictly for the next one week. We will be keeping a close watch on them on a regular basis,” the civil surgeon said.
Of those who returned from England, one is from Bistupur, one from Mango, one from Rahargora in the Parsudih area, one from Agrico and two from Sonari. The woman returnee is a resident of Sonari.
The district health department was worried about these residents as Jamshedpur does not have a facility to conduct strain tests for Covid-19.
“We are now relaxed as none of the six persons tested coronavirus positive. If any one of them tested positive, then we would have to find out exactly how we could put the infected person for a test in the line of Covid-19 Strain in absence of any such facility here in the city,” he said.
In view of the New Year and the threat of a fresh wave of Covid-19, the administration has also decided to increase the number of teams conducting Covid-19 tests at picnic spots. The team strength at Dimna lake will be increased from two to four in view of the heavy rush of picnickers while in other picnic spots two-two teams will be deployed.
Revealing about the steps, a police official said special squads of cops are carrying out patrolling the city roads after the dusk and conducting surprise inspection of hotels and clubs.
