Punjab Chief Secretary asks officials to identify, test minimum of 15 contacts of each COVID patient

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 21 : Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan on Saturday directed the Administrative Secretaries to ensure that a minimum of 15 contacts of each positive patient must be identified and tested as per the COVID-19 guidelines amid the surge in cases in the state.
Mahajan has directed them to visit the respective districts assigned to them for monitoring COVID response efforts and to review preparedness in case of a second wave of infections including contact tracing and patient tracking, protocols for referral, strengthening of Level-3 facilities, and also ramping up COVID-19 testing across the state.
As per an official release, Chief Secretary said the Health and all other concerned departments should be ready to tackle the possible second wave of the pandemic and added that it was also the responsibility of the people of the state to actively participate in the fight against the pandemic by strictly following COVID appropriate behaviour.
"'Mask hi vaccine hai' is the mantra of Mission Fateh," she said.
Later, she held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners, and other officials to take stock of the fresh surge in new COVID cases, and asked them to ensure strict vigil on large social gatherings.
"Regular monitoring of all home isolated patients must also be ensured. District administrations should work closely with educational institutes to strictly implement the COVID protocols, especially washing hands and wearing masks, to prevent transmission of infection," she said.
According to the Union Health Ministry, Punjab has 6,504 active cases, 1,33,919 cured/discharged/migrated, and 4,572 fatalities as of November 21.