Covid-19: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike scales down contact tracing operations

BENGALURU: With the third wave in the state’s capital ebbing, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has scaled down its contact tracing operations. It has also allowed officials who were deputed for the work to return to their regular duties.
Data shows an average 15 primary and 10 secondary contacts were traced for every person who tested positive in January, but the numbers fell to seven and zero early in February.

About 1. 8 lakh contacts were traced over the past seven days at an average of seven contacts per infected person.
Mahadevapura zone reported the highest number of infections – 6,839 – over the past week, and an average of 12 contacts were traced per infected person in the zone. On the other hand, Dasarahalli saw only 521 cases but officials traced an average of 20 contacts for each infected individual. BBMP officials say Dasarahalli’s high number of contacts was also because the area is densely populated.
Dr AS Balasundar, chief health officer, BBMP, claimed that in Dasarahalli, people have a greater tendency to flout rules as opposed to the other seven BBMP zones. “If one person tests positive, it leads to a snowball effect. Due to geographic conditions, we ensure that every contact is tested,” Balasundar said.
But in Mahadevapura, the floating population is high which results in a higher number of positive cases. This, Balasundar said, makes tracking contacts very challenging.
East zone reported 4,796 positive cases over the past week, with an average of 4. 5 contacts traced for every patient. “It is a spillover of cases from Mahadevapura zone that contributed to infections here. Mostly techies, domestic maids and a few traders are the category of people testing positive over the past few days,” said a senior health official from East zone. “Also, most of the primary contacts are family members so it is easier to contain.”
When cases rose in the first week of January, BBMP reactivated containment zones and its contact tracing teams. The Palike roped in teachers, revenue officials and personnel from other departments, but now they have been disbanded.
Now, three or four health officials from each PHC in the city look into contact tracing, while the rest have resumed their earlier duties, said Dr KV Thrilok Chandra, special commissioner (health) BBMP.