Tirupati: Glitches in ICMR server hinders swab collection for four days

Tirupati: Highlighting the lapses in strengthening the systems, technical glitches have hindered the swab collection process for Covid testing for the last four days. Making a mockery of the country's Covid preparedness, the ICMR servers have been facing problems continuously for four days due to which the testing centres could not connect to them. With this, the registration process of patients has halted and the code number could not be generated which is required for collecting swabs from people.

Entire AP has been facing the same problem as the central server at ICMR was unable to reach. With this, the people and Covid suspects, who approach testing centres in their eagerness to get tested from early in the morning have been returning home after waiting till afternoon.

People from several parts in the district and other neighbouring districts also come to Tirupati for Covid testing. They have been facing difficulties to stay here as they could not stay in hotels and even the known people and relatives are not allowing anyone during the pandemic.

District Medical and Health Officer Dr M Penchalaiah told The Hans India that the problem is not related to the district alone. As soon as the central server can be connected, swab collection will automatically start. Still, for emergency cases about 1,000 Rapid Antigen tests were being done to take further action. To a question, he said that about 4,000 – 5,000 swabs are being collected in the district daily including rapid antigen tests.

The delay in swab collection and testing may lead to more spread of the virus as the people are moving freely even with the symptoms. Meanwhile, the district has crossed 12,000 Covid positive cases by Saturday evening. Tirupati accounts for about 48 per cent of the total cases which has reported more than 5,700 cases so far. Within 24 hours from Friday 9 am to Saturday 9 am, Tirupati city reported 535 cases while the district tally during the period was 949. While the cases are skyrocketing, the doctors and other staff were getting infected with the virus one after another making it a tough task for available staff to supervise the treatment of all active cases.

With around 200 staff having been infected with Covid, SVIMS had no alternative but to suspend the OP services for another 15 days up to August 15. The OP services were under suspension since July 14 with senior doctors to sanitary staff down the line have been tested positive.