Odisha shows way in Covid care | Economic Times

New Delhi: Even before the Covid-19 lockdown was announced, Odisha’s Ganjam district imposed Section 144 on March 15 to prevent crowding in public places.It was also the first district in the state to impose Rs 200 fine for not using a mask. The move had its desired effect. There wasn’t a single Covid-19 case in the district until May 1.However, things changed dramatically in early May as over 4.3 lakh migrant workers returned home by trains, buses and on foot. Many of them came from Covid-19 hotspots. The first e case was reported on May 1 and the numbers rose to over 700 by July end.A second wave hit Ganjam when migrants ended their quarantine period to join families, thereby bringing in milder viral loads to villages. By August, the district’s positivity rate stood at 59% --one of the highest in the country during that period.However, in September, Ganjam scripted a turnaround.It reported over 200 active cases and a positivity rate down to 1.27% from the worrying 60% mark.Ganjam’s district collector Vijay Amruta Kulange said “turning point” came with the state government deciding to delegate and decentralise Covid-19 management.“The decision to empower Sarpanches with the powers of the district magistrate has made all the difference, considering the kind of battleground we had at hand. If this was not done, we would be hugely overburdened, besides being flooded by complaints. The Sarpanches were given powers and responsibility and we held regular reviews to help them with resources. A very strong community engagement helped us execute a clear and responsive Covid management plan,” Kulange told ET over telephone.Homework, the effort started even before the virus hit the district.Before May 1, when the first case hit the district, the administration had a 200-bedded Covid-19 hospital with 50 ICU beds. By the end of April, the district was ready with 2,200 beds with dedicated Covid-19 healthcare facilities besides procuring oximeters, ventilators, oxygen supply and more.As many 531 Covid-19 care homes were set up to handle asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms. Around 128 ‘Panchayat’ ambulances were also deployed with oxygen support.Over 260 senior officials, including 130 doctors, were immediately deputed to assist the district as numbers rose. The key, however, was building strong community support.An army of 1,224 community volunteers called Covid Monitors, 706 Covid Bandhus (recovered patients who provide counselling) and 22,482 Covid Sakhis (SHG members) were deployed to generate awareness on the pandemic, identify symptomatic patients and high-risk groups. A management committee was set up in each village and a Covid-19 monitor was there for every ward to coordinate closely,” said the district collector. Six rounds of door-to-door surveys were held which helped identify near 53,000 persons with co-morbidities and high risks. Testing strategies focusing on them were worked out.78418107Testing was ramped up manifold as July threw up increasing numbers. Over 3.6 lakh tests have so far been conducted but there is a stronger reliance on antigen tests than RT-PCR.In terms of tests per million, Ganjam with 1,01,515.4 tests per million has done better than the overall state (58,759.2 tests per million) and the national-level tests (40,768.7 per million), according to the district administration.The “Ganjam model” reporting more than 97% recovered cases offer hope.