Hyderabad: Door-to-door fever survey begins

Hyderabad: The Telangana Medical and Health Department in coordination with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) took up a door-to-door fever survey across the State from Friday. They distributed Covid home isolation kits to citizens having Covid symptoms.

The health teams including a medical officer, Asha workers, and GHMC personnel visited every house to inquire about the health status of inmates. They are testing persons who have symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat. The teams are also carrying rapid antigen test kits and conducting Covid tests on those with virus symptoms and if found positive they are being asked to isolate themselves and are being provided with home isolation kits.

On Friday, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar along with Hyderabad District Collector Sharman, GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar District Medical Health Officer Venkat and other officials visited Hilltop colony in Khairatabad and took stock of the fever survey.

Somesh Kumar said, "A multidisciplinary team comprising Asha, municipal, Panchayat staff is visiting every colony and conducting the survey with a primary objective of identifying individuals with Covid-19 symptoms. All the symptomatic persons are being supplied with medicine kits and also being isolated immediately to break the transmission chains. Another innovation as part of the fever survey is to vaccinate all those leftover persons, including those who are immobile."

He informed that more than one lakh tests are being conducted daily and one crore medical kits are readily available with the government. Referring to the availability of beds, he said that more than 56,000 beds both in public and private hospitals are equipped with oxygen facilities. He appealed to the public to participate in the door-to-door survey and cooperate with the government.

According to the officials, more than 200 workers are packing Covid kits at the Indoor stadium in Victory Playground for distribution to various UPHCs (Urban Primary Health Care Centres) across the state. Officials said almost one lakh Covid kits are being packed here daily. However, in some areas people refused to give their details to the teams. They had to write 'refused' in their survey list and had to move to another house. The Medical Officer said that they are collaborating with local leaders and activists to convince the residents as teams cannot force citizens to share their details. Awareness is also being carried out against Covid-19 during the survey.