Andhra deploys 52 more buses for COVID-19 sample collection in various districts

With this, there will be a total of 102 buses sanctioned in various districts for collecting samples from 95 designated locations.
Andhra deploys 52 more buses for COVID-19 sample collection in various districts
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The Andhra Pradesh government has deployed 52 new buses to supplement the present vehicles for testing samples and has positioned them across all high-risk areas in the state.

With this, there will be a total of 102 buses sanctioned in various districts collecting samples from 95 designated locations.

Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar said, "102 special buses have been deployed only for mass testing purposes, which can survey 10-12 people at the same time, to avoid a crowd gathering."

Bhaskar added that multiple testing counters in the buses will facilitate a zero-contact procedure. Each bus has 10 counters, with three officials deployed at each counter.

"The swab samples will be collected and sent to the ICMR laboratories for further testing. Officials at the border check posts verify the details of people entering the state by road with the help of Aadhaar numbers. Each person's swab sample is collected and he or she is either directed to undergo institutional or home quarantine. Those at quarantine camps are tracked to ensure that no procedure is skipped,” added the official.

Apart from deploying the modified buses, the state government has also issued notifications for recruiting more medical professionals to be assigned to different districts in the state. Bhaskar stated that to improve the health system from the primary to the tertiary level, a total of 9,700 medical staff will be hired for further requirements in fighting the pandemic.

It was also added that the intelligent Monitoring Analysis Services Quarantine (iMASQ) system provides a contactless digitised swab sample collection system, and tracking in all containment zones.

Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, there was yet again a record single-day high of 2,602 new coronavirus cases in the 24-hour cycle ending 9 am on Friday for the third day in a row, taking the state’s total tally to 40,646.

There are now 19,814 active cases in the state as 20,298 patients have been cured and discharged.

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