Gaps in Covid management identified in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial area

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 1

The lack of ambulances with ventilators, delayed detection, non-availability of adequately trained staff and a shortage of essential medicines like Remdesivir and Tocilizumab are some of the major gaps in effective Covid management identified by the Nalagarh administration.

Nalagarh subdivision comprises the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt where 9,682 Covid cases have been reported in both waves.

SDM, Nalagarh, Mahinder Pal said, “To step up preparedness for the third wave, gaps have been identified for the effective management of the pandemic”.

Shortcomings flagged

• Lack of ambulances with ventilators in Nalagarh
• Shortage of trained staff
• Failure to early detect Covid due to the fear of isolation among patients
• Non-availability of essential drugs in private hospitals
• Difficulties faced in tracking and monitoring patients

“Issues such as the lack of availability of ambulances with ventilators, shortage of trained staff, failure to early detect Covid due to the fear of isolation among patients, non-availability of essential drugs in private hospitals and difficulties faced in tracking and monitoring patients have emerged as the major gaps in effective Covid management,” the SDM said.

These issues were deliberated upon at length at a meeting held with the health officials recently. Health officials had emphasised that adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour would largely help in containing the pandemic. Various suggestions such as a gap analysis of the medical equipment in a time-bound manner, vaccination in slums by including even those who do not have Aadhaar cards were some of the key interventions need to be undertaken to contain the next wave of the pandemic were discussed.

The health officials also stressed the need to create awareness among schoolchildren about Covid to contain its spread. Other suggestions such as staggering the opening and closing timings of the industries would also help in lesser crowd assembling on the roads.

The BBN belt faced various challenges in containing Covid in view of the large-scale movement of industrial workforce from high caseload neighbouring states during the peak time. The entry of truckers from badly-hit states such as Maharasthra, Delhi, etc., during the peak period also posed a challenge to the health authorities, as several industries had to close operations after the detection of several Covid cases.