Chandigarh, 24 April, 2020
In order to ensure containment of COVID-19 and enhance surveillance of the disease, Department of Health and Family Welfare hereby appeals to all private hospitals in the state to refer patients with Influenza Like Illness (ILI) symptoms and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) i.e. fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, pneumonia like symptoms to the Government Flu corners/facilities for free RT-PCR testing.
Giving information in this regard an official spokesman of the Health Department Punjab told that this step would ensure that not even a single suspected COVID case is missed-out for diagnosis and community transmission of this disease is prevented. He added that Department of Health & Family Welfare has already issued instructions to all the Civil Surgeons to inform private hospitals regarding this and facilitate them for sampling of such patients.
He told that Punjab’s response has been proactive in handling the situation arising out of COVID-19 outbreak and State Government has made a detailed plan for tracking, testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Containment activities carried out in district SBS Nagar and SAS Nagar have been exemplary. Extensive contact tracing was done and spread of disease was controlled well in time. Five labs have been conducting COVID-19 tests and Department of Health and Family Welfare is also making active efforts to rope in more private labs approved by ICMR so that Punjab””s testing capacity may be enhanced.
