As COVID-19 infections in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada continue to rise, a ‘triage centre’ was set up in the city to assess the severity of a COVID-19 patient’s condition. Based on the assessment at the triage centre, the patient will be asked to either stay in home isolation or get admitted in a hospital.
Inaugurating the triage centre at the Bishop Azariah school, Krishna District Collector Md Imtiaz said that those who test positive for coronavirus and wish to opt for home isolation would have to undergo various tests at this centre. Home isolation will only be allowed for patients after verifying that their house has a separate room and toilet. The Collector also advised patients opting for home isolation to send away any children, elderly or persons with comorbid conditions.
Local ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) and ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) will regularly monitor COVID-19 patients under home isolation, the Collector said. Patients will also be given home isolation kits with various items needed to remain under isolation.
The triage centre is equipped to perform ECG (electrocardiogram), chest x-ray, blood tests, as well as check for blood pressure, fever and oxygen levels.
The Collector said that around 1.3 lakh tests have been conducted so far in Krishna district. On a daily basis, more than 4,000 samples are being collected, he said.
He also claimed that test results are being shared within 24 hours of sample collection.
On July 11, Krishna district recorded 123 new COVID-19 cases, according to the state government’s bulletin. With this, there are 781 active patients in the district. The district has recorded the second-highest number of fatalities in the state, with 77 COVID-19 deaths in total. Although it was among the worst-affected districts earlier, so far, 1,440 people in the district have been discharged.