JOIN USHere’s how the 24/7 coronavirus control room works at Vikas Soudha
As the number of Covid-19 cases trickle in from various corners of the state, the response to the deadly infection is directed from one place for the past five days.
At room 117 on the first floor of the Vikas Soudha, three technicians from a private company, two data entry operators and two general physicians release the orders and circulars from the commissioner and additional chief secretary (Health).
Five days ago, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar opened the Covid-19 24/7 control room, headed by an IPS officer, on probation.
Ever since, the control room is receiving information from across the state and disseminate decisions are being taken at the state level.
The war room has been online and on the move. Since the staff involved in containing the disease cannot always be present at the Vikas Soudha, it opened online chats between different groups two days ago. "The officer may be required to do a group talk while on duty," a deputy director of the state health department explained to DH about the functioning of the control room.
As to how the groups are formed, the official said: "For example, the commissioner, state-level programme officers and district health officers are in one group (chat), while the commissioner and directors of all isolation hospitals in Bengaluru would be in the other group. They can talk to each other using their mobile phones."
The technicians from the firm Telebu and the others are present at the control room during office hours.
"Let us say the health commissioner is addressing 100 people and 10 of them have questions. They press zero, which will show on the system monitored by the technicians at the Vikas Soudha. They will queue them so that they can put forth the questions to the commissioner one after the other," the official said.