Epidemiology Division shares contract tracing responsibility with state, local governments as COVID cases up

Kathmandu -  Additional workforce has been trained and mobilised to make contract tracing of those coming into close contacts with coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. According to Epidemiology and Disease Control Division's director Dr Basu Dev Pandey, 1,107 squads are working nationwide to establish contract tracing. Social Development Ministry at the state level and hospitals and health posts at the local level are facilitating in a bid to establish contact tracing of the people who have interacted with the carriers of SARS-CoV-2.

This process is based on the travel history of the infected, identification of their relatives and friends having close contacts with them. The Division has now trained medical workers at the state level virtually for contact tracing. The center continues to send contract tracing teams to the sites reporting more infections. ''Earlier, we would visit the areas reporting up to 100 infections. We reached Udaypur, Kapilvastu, Banke, and Dhangadhi for contract tracing. But now it has not been possible only through our sole presence as the infections have increased.

So we are training doctors at the state and local level for the same.'' The teams' mobilisation takes place on the ratio of rural municipality: one team, one municipality: two teams, one sub-metropolis: three teams and one metropolitan city: five teams for contract tracing. Each team comprises one public health officer, a nurse and a lab technician. It means 460 teams are working in 460 rural municipalities, 552 teams in 552 municipalities, 33 in 11 municipal ties and 40 in six metropolitan cities.

So far, at least three to maximum 110 people have been identified during contract tracing procedures, Division's Surveillance and Research Section chief Mahendra Dhwaj Adhikari. Set procedures are followed for contract tracing. There is less possibility of the transmission of infection to people in casual contact of less than 15 minutes and having a distant interaction. However, the Division itself took the responsibility for contract tracing in the Kathmandu Valley.