States asked to replicate initiatives taken by Karnataka for COVID-19 management
New Delhi: The Centre has asked all states to replicate the best practices implemented by Karnataka, which includes comprehensive contact tracing of COVID-19 cases and physical or phone-based household survey, for better management of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Union Health Ministry on Friday lauded the two initiatives taken by Karnataka that have been developed as part of the whole of government' approach with the involvement of multi-sectoral agencies and supported by technology-based solutions and interventions.
They effectively trace and track each case thereby successfully containing the spread of the epidemic, the ministry said.
"The Centre has asked the other states to adapt these best practices to their local context and replicate them for better management of the COVID-19 pandemic," the ministry said in its statement.
India on Friday added 13,586 new COVID-19 cases, the highest recorded in a single day so far, pushing the tally to 3,80,532, while the death toll rose to 12,573 with 336 new fatalities, according to Health Ministry data.
Karnataka has reported 114 deaths and 7,944 cases, according to the data updated at 8 am.
Contact tracing is a critical component towards containing the epidemic and ensuring that the health infrastructure does not get overwhelmed.
Karnataka has widened the definition of contact' to include both the high-risk as well as low-risk contacts as defined by the central government. The number of primary and secondary contacts in Karnataka were meticulously traced and put under strict quarantine, the ministry said.
More than 10,000 well trained field staff carried out specific responsibilities for contact tracing as per the detailed SOP designed by the state which prescribes step-by-step actions to be performed by each designated person.
Contact tracing mobile app and web applications are being used to overcome the huge quantum of work, genuine forgetfulness of the positive persons and attempts to hide facts due to various reasons, the statement said.
The State has been able to curtail the spread of infection in slums of big corporation areas through compulsory institutional quarantine of the contacts residing in slums or similar areas.
It has also been made mandatory for all returnees and travellers coming to Karnataka to register on Seva Sindhu portal, which enables the state to follow them for the next few days when they are in home or institutional quarantine.
The Quarantine Watch App' is used to assist the field workers in enforcing the quarantine. The state has also formed mobile squads for enforcement of the home quarantine through community participation.
In case information is received from the neighbour or public about violation of quarantine by any person, that person is moved to institutional quarantine.
With a view to identifying, protecting and treating high risk population like the elderly, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and those with Influenza like Illness (ILI)/ Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) on priority, Karnataka has conducted a physical/phone based household survey, the ministry said.
The survey was carried out during May and covered 153 lakh households out of total 168 lakh total households.
Polling Booth Level Officers (BLO) were engaged to collect necessary information by using a Health Survey App as well as a web application.
The data collected through the survey was complemented by the information already available with the Health Department for pregnant mothers and TB/HIV/Dialysis/Cancer patients.
An outreach campaign through Apthamitra tele-consultation helpline (14410) set up by the state government, with support from NASSCOM, is being used to reach out to the households at risk through interactive voice response system (IVRS) and outbound calls.
The households reporting anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms are triaged by a telemedicine doctor and further advised. Field level health worker (ASHAs) also visit these households to ensure that the required healthcare service is provided.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
19-yr-old woman found hanging from tree in UP village; juvenile held
Lucknow/Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Police have apprehended a 16-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in a village here, officials said on Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, said that the body of a 19-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in an orchard in the Manikpur police station area on Sunday morning. A post-mortem examination subsequently confirmed that she had been raped.
Police registered a case against unidentified persons under sections 103(1) (punishment for murder) and 70(1) (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and initiated an investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the police found that the deceased was in contact with a juvenile who was also her relative.
Acting on this information, during a joint checking operation, sub-inspector Amit Kumar Singh of Manikpur police station and SOG In-charge Amit Kumar Chaurasia, along with their team, apprehended the 16-year-old near the Lehdari Ganga River bridge.
The search for other accused persons is ongoing, police said.
According to the police, the woman had gone to sleep after dinner on Saturday night but was found hanging in an orchard nearly 400 metres away from her home the following morning.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, had earlier said that the circumstances suggest foul play.
"The victim's slippers and undergarments were recovered 50 metres away from the spot where the body was found. There are visible injury marks on her body," Rai said.
While locals have alleged that the woman was murdered after being raped, the ASP said that it is "prima facie a case of murder."
"Based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, a case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons," the officer added.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X in Hindi on Monday, said, "The news of the heinous murder of a Dalit daughter in Pratapgarh is deeply tragic and condemnable."
"The question remains: why does the spate of murders of 'PDA daughters' continue unabated in Uttar Pradesh? Are the BJP government's claims regarding women's safety merely hollow rhetoric, or is there, in fact, discrimination even in the provision of security for women?" he said.
"Whenever the 'wandering Honourable (ghumantu maananiye)' finds a moment of respite from election campaigning, he should cast a glance at the plight of the daughters of his own Uttar Pradesh. In any case, apart from injustice and oppression, no sister, daughter, or mother of this state holds any hope from you," Yadav added.
