Contact tracing hit as booth officers, teachers get to their work

Though the state government has mandated tracing and testing at least 20 contacts for every Covid positive case, the data shows that Covid positive patients in Haveri, Koppal, Raichur, and Vijayapura districts have zero contacts traced.

These patients were detected over the past seven days. With respect to the new strains of the virus, both UK and South African, which are 40% more contagious, contact tracing is of paramount importance for Covid containment.

The district officials said that previously booth-level officers (BLOs) and teachers would do contact tracing. But now they have gone back to their original work hampering the contact tracing. The BLOs are usually tasked with verifying and collecting details of electors by visiting and collecting their papers for any kind of services they require. There are more than a million BLOs across the country.

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Vijayapura has not traced a single contact for 44 Covid patients over the past week. Dr Mallangowda Biradar, district surveillance officer, told DH, “BLOs generally do contact tracing. In the district surveillance team, except me, an epidemiologist and a microbiologist, there is no one else. BLOs have left for their original jobs. In the video conference with the CM, we discussed this.”

“For the past three months, since the cases were less, they have left and no contact tracing has been done. We have to rope in PHC medical health officers and ASHAs to do surveillance,” he said.

Raichur district health officer (DHO) Dr Ramakrishna H told DH, “We had roped in teachers to do contact tracing. But since schools have reopened partially, they have left for their original jobs. The DC has asked us to form a team and do contact tracing though. Our MBBS doctor finished contact tracing for nine cases. The rest has to be done by Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram officials.”

“Male health workers and doctors will be tasked with it. We have 12 teams. At least one of them will be entrusted with contact tracing. Each taluk to which the case belongs, the doctor from that taluk will be entrusted with contact tracing,” he said.

Dr Alakananda, DHO, Koppal, clarified that though the State Covid-19 War Room data says nine Covid patients have had nil contacts traced over the past week, the district had finished tracing their contacts.

Haveri district surveillance officer Dr Jagdish Patil said, “Two cases that the war room data shows with nil contacts are from Shiggaon and Hirekerur. The Hirekerur patient is not cooperating in revealing contacts. Shiggaon patient’s tracing was done and we found two contacts. Our auxiliary nurse midwives are doing contact tracing in our district.”