More facilities needed for timely detection, treatment
Should the UT increase the number of Covid testing centres?
In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the city needs to set up at least 15 more testing centres. One way is to authorise chemists of the city to conduct tests by charging a nominal fee of Rs250 as has been permitted in the state of Punjab.
NPS Sohal, Chandigarh
Every sector should have testing facilities
As Covid cases are increasing with each passing day, there is an urgent need to increase testing facilities in Chandigarh. It has better resources and good literacy rate. Testing facilities should be made available in every sector. No need to buckle under the pressure of traders to unlock everything. If they do not follow health guidelines strictly, heavy penalties should be imposed on them. Lives are more precious than anything else.
BS Dhillon, Mohali
Create centres near vulnerable locations
Now that Covid cases have crossed the 10,000 mark, there is no denying the fact that Chandigarh residents, and particularly those living in densely populated pockets, are unaware about their being the possible victims of Covid 19 as the positivity rate has been found to be much higher than Panchkula and Mohali. Apart from enforcing preventive norms such as wearing of masks and observing social distancing by the police, there is an urgent need to create more and more testing centres near vulnerable locations and isolate positive cases by faster communication of results to the victims and promptly sanitising their residences, so as to prevent the further spread of infection among their contacts.
SC Luthra,Chandigarh
Doorstep testing need of the hour
The UT Administration has opened Covid testing centres in different sectors and hospitals. Visiting the centre for testing and then again to collect the report is just a waste of time and resources. Testing should rather be done on the doorstep on call and report should be delivered the next day. This will save a lot of time and resources. People, who test positive for the virus, should self quarantine at home or they should be sent to the hospital, if required.
Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali
9 centres too less
Chandigarh has a population of nearly 12 lakh. So, nine Covid-testing centres are too less as compared with Panchkula and Mohali, which have lesser population and more centres. The UT Administration should immediately take steps to increase the number of Covid testing centres to at least 25 to accommodate the day-to-day patients.
RK Kapoor, Chandigarh
Deploy more manpower
The city requires 2,400 days to test all residents of the city, which means more than six and a half years of testing. The government is playing a joke with the lives of the citizens. It should accept the hard reality and rectify the anomalies in the testing methodologies. It should deploy more manpower and more teams to paint the true picture of the Covid-19 pandemic. The fact that today we are in a much better position than most developed nations such as the United States and China is no consolation. It is sheer luck. The key to control the Covid-19 pandemic is only testing.
Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur
Divide city into zones
There is a surge in Covid cases in the recent past as the curfew has been uplifted and life is coming back to normal. In order to stop the virus from spreading further, the UT Administration needs to set up more testing centres so that people can get timely treatment. The city should be divided into zones and testing centres should be set up accordingly to make people at ease. Special arrangements must be made for senior citizens, disabled and children. This is the time to go with the saying, “A stitch in time saves nine”. Timely detection of Covid can save a number of lives by increasing the number of testing centres.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
Testing foremost weapon to fight Covid
Despite the Covid infection raging throughout Chandigarh and touching a figure of 10,000, with the caseload substantially higher than Panchkula and Mohali, the UT is equipped with only nine testing centres in contrast to 23 government sampling centres in Panchkula and 19 in Mohali. The UT has been consistently criticised for not testing enough people and doctors have also expressed affirmation that the city’s testing facilities should be increased in order to check the spread of the infection. According to the PGIMER’s Department of Community, testing is the foremost weapon to fight Covid-19. Test, detect and take action on a war footing. Government hospitals are overburdened and the entry of private players will help increase testing. The more we test, the better it is. There is no need to restrict testing, for it’s the only way to contain the disease until the vaccine is out.
Sanjay Chopra, Mohali
Timely testing can help reduce fatalities
The UT Administration should increase the number of Covid testing centres. Early detection of cases through timely testing can help in reducing the number of fatalities. Consult a doctor at the earliest in case of fever, cough and sore throat. Nine testing centres is a very small number as compared with the number of testing centres in Mohali and Panchkula. Even private testing labs can be given the nod. Mobile testing vans is also a good option. Voluntary testing by residents should also be there so as to stop the spread of the virus. Joint efforts by the government medical staff, private hospitals, labs and residents can help in the early detection of Covid-19 cases, thereby reducing the number of fatalities due to the disease.
BirDevinder Singh Bedi
Dispensaries should have testing facility
Focus has to be on optimal utilisation of testing capacity. The RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test is a gold standard test, though the result is processed in 24 hours and costs about Rs1,600, and the rapid antigen test gives result in 15 minutes, though its reliability is 70 per cent and it costs about Rs500.When first symptoms are observed, testing should be resorted to for confirmation and cure with steps to curb the spread of the virus, if any. All dispensaries in different sectors of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali should have testing facility or at least arrangements for sample collection (for testing at their controlling hospitals).
Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula
Keep preventive measures in mind
The Chandigarh Administration should definitely increase Covid testing centres so that residents can be treated at the initial stage. People should adhere to safety measures such as use good quality masks, sanitise or wash hands properly. It has been more than six months into the Covid-19 pandemic and no one can say that he/she is not aware of the restrictions. If the preventive measures are kept in mind, the cases will surely recede.
MR Bhateja, Nayagaon
Labs not sufficient
The UT Administration can provide better facilities to the public if it takes keen interest in its activities. Covid-19 has been spreading very fast in Chandigarh, but there are no sufficient labs for testing in the city as compared with other cities. People are facing huge problems. They are being fleeced by private hospitals. It is the duty of the government to take care of public and save their lives by providing them better health services. The Administration should open more labs for testing.
Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali
Testing only way to contain virus
In order to keep a check on the spread of Covid in the UT, more testing facilities and centres are needed. The UT has already been criticised for not having enough testing centres. Government hospitals are overburdened and patients complain that they do not get reports on time and healthcare workers are also functioning under extreme pressure. Testing is the only way to contain the diseases until the vaccine is out.
Anita K Tandon, Kharar
Ensure timely report
As Covid cases are increasing in the city at a rapid rate, there is an urgent need to increase Covid testing centres and, that too, on a priority basis so that the residents can easily get themselves tested at the primary stage of infection. The authorities should ensure minimum charges for these tests. Also, timely report should also be ensured by the authorities.
Balbir Singh Batra, Mohali
Test, detect, isolate
The callous attitude of the policymakers has breached the 10,000 mark of Covid cases in Chandigarh. Despite taking advice from medical experts, the city has failed to increase testing centres and even lags behind its peripheral areas such as Mohali and Panchkula. The less number of testing centres is a major deterrent in containing the virus and if steps are not taken immediately, the already overburdened medical facilities can shatter.
Manjinder Kaur, Himachal Pradesh
Expand screening
Sadly, Chandigarh has not been able to effectively arrest the Covid-19 spread. We have to increase the spectrum of Covid screening. As we increase the number of testing centres, we must also make it affordable. The poor will not come for testing if it is expensive or time consuming. It has to be made as smooth as possible. We must also encourage people to have pulse oximeters in their house for self screening of oxygen level in the blood. These can be provided at subsidised rates. Along with it, people coming from other states need to be screened at the entry point, with their test done, home address noted and then kept informed of the Covid test result. In case of positive cases, they must be immediately isolated/admitted to hospitals. The UT Administration can have some system through which all people coming from other states are required to inform in advance so that their screening and tests are planned and coordinated well in time.
Col RD Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt
Scale up sampling
Chandigarh being the capital city of both states of Punjab and Haryana has the best medical facilities as compared with Mohali and Chandigarh. So, there should be no problem in testing facilities in the city. The authorities should coordinate to scale up the testing facilities, increase the numbers of ICU beds and strengthen the track and trace system. However, there are other factors as well for which testing is important such as the fruit and vegetable market in Sector 26 where social distancing goes for a toss. People are not screened there that may spread the virus in the city. A medical team must be sent to the Sector 26 sabzi mandi to recommend steps to be taken.
Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (retd), Chandigarh
Start On-the-spot mobile testing
There is an urgent need for on-the-spot mobile testing. Though the Chandigarh Administration had, in the first week of August, announced that they would start mobile testing, but failed to take it off. The Administration does not have adequate technical staff. This is not feasible at all and that is why it could not be done. The Chandigarh Administration has been constantly facing flak for low testing. If Chandigarh can learn from Panchkula in this respect, cases can be detected early and chances of the spread of contagion can be less. The UT has been consistently criticised for not testing enough people and doctors have also expressed affirmation that the city’s testing facilities should be increased in order to check the spread of the virus. More testing facilities and centres in the UT is the need of the hour.
SC Dhall, Zirakpur
Increase per day sample collection
The increasing numbers of Covid cases in the city is worrisome. The authorities should increase per day testing capacity so that the virus can be detected early. This will help in early treatment and recovery. The testing should only be increased if the nine centres are not able to handle the situation.
Bharat Bhushan Sharma
Implement strict measures
As the number of Covid cases is increasing by the day, it is imperative to increase the number of testing centres too. But you never get ahead of others by following them. Mohali and Panchkula are part of different states having more resources finances and manpower than Chandigarh, a UT with limited resources. Maybe Punjab and Haryana are able to spare more funds for Mohali and Panchkula, respectively, as these form part of the Chandigarh capital region. The main reason is that the southern sectors of Chandigarh are more densely populated, which need to be saved by strict implementation of measures or by limited lockdown till the peak of second wave of Covid subsides or flattens.
Gurdev Singh, Mohali
Testing a paramount need in city
Test, trace and isolate on a large scale in a systematic way is the need of the hour. The states and places that have been testing a large number of people daily have reported a gradual decline in the positivity rate as had happened in Bhilwara where a door-to-door testing was carried out. It took them only nine days to cover a population of 28 lakh, whereas Chandigarh has a population of nearly 12 lakh. Testing forms an integral pillar of Covid-19 response and management. The aim should be to catch every missing person through testing to curb the spread of the infection. All symptomatic negatives of rapid antigen tests should be mandatorily subject to the RT-PCR.
SK Khosla, Chandigarh
Will reduce load of existing centres
Chandigarh should increase the number of testing centres. This will not only reduce the risk of infection to other people, but will also reduce the load of the existing testing centres. More testing centres will help detect and treat more people. Testing centres need to be increased in proportion to the rising number of cases. Chandigarh should have more testing centres than Mohali and Panchkula, but unfortunately, it is just the opposite.
Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh
QUESTION
Even as schools in the UT reopened partially for students of Classes IX to XII on September 21, though for a couple of hours a day, only a limited number of students are showing up. In view of the rising number of cases, do you think schools should remain functional only for senior students or for all classes so that students can adjust to the new normal?
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