Chennai Corporation traces over 26,000 contacts of 5K patients in three days
With contact tracing being made mandatory in the national capital, the Greater Chennai Corporation, in the last three days, has traced more than 26,000 contacts and extended contacts of infected persons. However, contrary to rules, the civic body has stopped testing asymptomatic contacts and resorted to testing only vulnerable contacts.
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Chennai
According to a Chennai Corporation data, the civic body, through sanitary inspectors, had traced as many as 26,199 contacts of 5,301 coronavirus patients, who had tested positive between June 24 and June 26. “We have to identify home contacts (family members) and extended contacts of the infected,” a sanitary inspector attached to the Central Chennai region said.
As per data, of the total contacts traced during the three days, 12,470 persons are family contacts and 13,729 are extended contacts. On June 24 and June 25, the civic body traced 6,412 contacts and 11,399 contacts respectively. The civic body also traced as many as 8,388 contacts on Friday.
When asked about the testing strategy followed, the sanitary inspector said that tests are being conducted on the contacts, who are aged people and having co-morbidities. However, the World Health Organisation defines contacts as persons, who had stayed within one metre of the infected persons for more than 15 minutes, direct physical contact with infected persons and the persons who provided direct care for patients without using PPEs.
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