GUWAHATI: The Assam health department is eyeing three lakh COVID-19 tests in Guwahati in a bid to control the “currently critical situation” in the city by August end.
“Unless we test 3 lakh people here, the situation in the city, with an average of 400 to 500 cases per day, cannot be controlled. We have so far tested 1, 10,000 people and have another 1, 90,000 tests to conduct,” state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed reporters here on Thursday.
Of the 48 COVID-related deaths in the state till Thursday evening, 25 are from Kamrup Metro district alone.
Sarma said that the lockdown in the city, which is into its third week, has “not given us the desired results with a spike in cases, particularly among police personnel, armed forces besides inmates of Guwahati Central Jail.
“Testing and tracking contacts of positive cases would be key in the coming month so that the situation in the city, where over 10 lakh people live, could improve from the present state.
The minister said 150 lab technicians would be employed by next week to cater to 60 new COVID screening centres to be set up in area sabhas under the various wards of the city.
“We are planning to go for a gradual ‘Unlock’ in the city during which we will conduct random COVID tests in shops, offices, companies and even the state Secretariat in a bid to ramp up testing figures in the city,” Sarma said.
The state government has further directed nursing homes in the city to install TrueNat machines within 15 days so that COVID tests can be conducted there.
“Rail and air passengers will undergo rapid antigen tests upon arrival and they would be allowed to go home if they are negative. However, if they are found positive after RT-PCR tests, they would be called back for treatment,” he said.
The minister further said that a telemedicine service unit would be opened next week to cater to patients who opt for home isolation.