Kerala government to decentralize swab collection

KOCHI: As the number of new cases rise amid fears of a possible community spread, government has come up with a plan to decentralize swab collection and transportation system. Now, there will be PHC/block-level collection centres, taluk-level collection centres and district-level testing centres.

Using the new system, district health department should ensure a daily testing of 1.5 times the tests done per day until June 27 by July 12. Until now, regular tests were conducted at Covid treatment facilities and airports where expatriates landed.

The new system will help increase the number of daily tests and reduce chances of disease spread through contact. As per plan, walk-in sample kiosks (WISKs) will be set up at PHC/block level for collecting samples at the primary level. In urban areas, WISKs would be set up in more places considering population density. Samples collected at such centres will be taken to taluk sample collection centres for proper storage and later it will be transported to district-level labs that are designated as district sample hubs.

Specially-designed two chambered vehicles with a driver, trained healthcare staff, data-entry operator and a support staff will be allotted to every taluk for collecting samples and transporting them to labs at the district-level.

“We should collect samples from people at places that are located nearby. Then, we will not miss people with respiratory illness and influenza-like illness (ILI). We will be able to quickly diagnose whether such people get Covid-19,” said health secretary Rajan Khobragade. Swabs of the dead, samples of patients awaiting emergency medical or surgical interventions and those of prisoners will be considered as priority.

As of now, there are 15 labs in state’s public sector for conducting Covid-19 diagnostic tests. The government is all set to begin eight more labs to enhance testing capacity. New facilities for Covid-19 tests will be set up at government medical colleges in Idukki, Alappuzha and Parippally in Kollam.

The facility will be arranged in district public health labs at Manjeri and Sultan Bathery and regional public health labs at Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta and Kannur as well.