The health department will carry out a survey among patients at 28 government hospitals across West Bengal to assess the current Covid situation.
The second edition of Sentinel Surveillance - the first was carried out in July 2021 – will be undertaken to keep tabs on the possibility of infection in asymptomatic persons, said an official of the health department.
As part of the survey, samples will be collected from patients turning up at the hospitals for non-Covid ailments and not presenting any Covid symptoms.
Collection of samples will start on April 27. The reports have to be submitted on April 30, the official added.
In Kolkata, samples will be collected at RG Kar Hospital in the north.
“Each hospital has to collect 400 swab samples from patients chosen randomly. The reports of all 11,200 samples will be mailed to the health department,” he said.
According to the instruction sent to the 28 government hospitals, patients turning up at the OPD and for dental treatment and surgery will be included in the survey.
“We need to know the extent of the spread of infection. The result of the survey will suggest whether there is any need for any drastic step like compulsory wearing of masks,” said public health expert Kajal Krishna Banik.
Another public health expert said the survey would help the authorities know whether there is any silent spread of the virus in the community. “If yes, we need to identify the source and the areas where the spread is maximum,” he said.
The number of daily new infections in the state has come down sharply from the latest surge in January. Bengal on Thursday recorded 26 new cases.
With the decline in cases, the majority of the people in the city have dropped their guard and barely use masks in public places.
