Jamshedpur, April 11: Though threat of coronavirus is looming large over Kolhan division, but no positive case has been reported so far here. The division that comprises East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seriakela Kharsawan districts has not seen any positive case of the deadly virus so far. �
Though incidentally, as of now MGM Medical College testing unit is testing a maximum of 40 samples daily but no positive case has been reported keeping the division safe as of now.
� We are happy to note that though samples are being collected on a daily basis and several suspected cases have come forward but none of the case came out to be positive,� said Ravi Shanker Shukla, deputy commissioner, East Singhbhum.
The administration has formed teams at block-level and also in three civic bodies of Jamshedpur, Jugsalai and Mango for house-to-house search within three km radius area for Covid-19 positive cases but every sample tested has turned out to be negative.
� We are keeping an eye on those quarantine and also sending teams for identifying fresh suspected cases. There are several persons who have returned from abroad and have been quarantined. We want them to follow guidelines,� said Shukla.
The medical team is also distributing pamphlets on the measures to be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They are being informed about quarantine measures for those showing symptoms such as cold, cough and fever.
The administration is taking other steps to deal with the outbreak. A doctor has been made part of the disaster management control room round-the-clock to provide advice, and has also appealed to people not to panic.
�So far we have nearly 2000 bed quarantine facilities in different blocks of the district. Still we want to keep such flats of Tata Steel in our hands for quarantine facilities in case of emergencies. We saw the arrangements at the flats today,� said East Singhbhum official. Meanwhile, all the inter-state and inter-district checkpoints in 12 locations of the district have been sealed by the district administration.
This is apart from the screening, testing and quarantine efforts being taken by the administration. This is an awareness-cum-surveillance drive. They are informed of the symptoms and asked if any resident has them. If there is such a person, we can move them into isolation.
The idea is to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic. Officials will also visit housing societies to check for people with any history of foreign travel, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms and also tracking those discharged after showing no symptoms.
Meanwhile, district civil surgeon Dr Maheshwar Prasad informed that six vehicle mounted phone booth Covid-19 swab collection units have been purchased by the district and would be taken by two member teams including a doctor and a lab-technician for collecting samples in hot spots.
