New Delhi: Adopting the Kerala model of conducting random testing to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus, Tripura has put together a mobile COVID-19 van to be placed in public spots for easy collection of throat swab samples.
According to local news reports, the mobile van with an inbuilt testing kiosk has been designed by the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) with the Smart City Mission. The van was handed over by the AMC to the chief medical officer (CMO) of West Tripura district on Monday. It cost the authorities Rs 85,000.
Though Tamil Nadu has been using a mobile van to collect samples for testing of the virus in two districts, the initiative by the Tripura government is the first in a northeastern state.
As of now, Tripura has only two confirmed cases of COVID-19. Both have recovered from the disease and the state has no active cases. However, the state government had decided to start rapid testing in order to measure the actual status of the spread of the virus in the state. The van will check members of public for fever on a random basis and if found with high body temperature, would take their swab samples for testing.
On Monday, AMC commissioner Satish Kumar Yadav told Tripura Times that the mobile van, mounted on a three-wheeler Piaggio vehicle, would be able to easily navigate through narrow lanes and help collection of samples from several areas. He said, “It ensures protection to the sample collecting doctors and also prevents wastage of PPE (personal protection equipment).”
The mobile testing. Photo: Facebook/Biplab Kumar Deb
“Almost every state is suffering from scarcity of PPEs. In this arrangement, only one PPE is needed for the person who will be monitoring the process from outside. Otherwise, the doctor who will carry out the process will be saved automatically as he will be put under the glass caged chamber,” Yadav told the newspaper. He said the mobile collection will also help prevent doctors from being exposed to potential patients.
So far, the health staff, including ASHA workers, has been going door to door in the state to collect samples. Yadav said since the state does not have any COVID-19 patients currently, it requires rapid testing to “detect the actual status of the state”. He said, “This arrangement is a proven success in Kerala.”
The CMO of West Tripura district, Debashish Das termed the van “an interesting instrument in this crisis period”, adding, “We have entrusted one microbiologist along with two trained lab technicians to operate the vehicle.”
According to an Indian Express report from Agartala, Das said the van is being used at Maharajganj Bazaar and all major markets of Agartala to collect samples from people found with high temperatures during thermal scanning. He said the van would cover different sub-divisions in later phases.
The state’s chief minister, Biplab Kumar Deb, wrote on Facebook, “Now patients wouldn’t need to go to hospitals to provide samples. Besides, it will help in conducting large number tests in a short period of time.”