COVID-19: Delay at testing, vaccine centres a cause for concern

Long queues at vaccination centres and testing sites essential setups in the war against COVID could be aiding the virus in a big way say health experts from the city Navi Mumbai and Alibaug ldquoThe core issue that is getting ignored at this moment is the large turnouts at vaccination and testing centres which do not have any exit time practicerdquo said a doctor at a COVID care centre in Navi MumbaiCOVID protocols go for a toss during a testing drive for workers at APMC marketThe doctor added ldquoIt is also a fact that these setups do not have any yardstick to ensure stringent adherence to COVID protocols Moreover the spread of the infection through urinals and toilets at these centres is also a concern as they are not sanitised after every userdquoAccording to Dr Subhash Hira Professor of Global Health at the University of WashingtonSeattle COVIDappropriate behaviourscorrect usage of masks regular washing of hands 6foot distance and use of sanitisersare ignored at testing and vaccine delivery points For example hospital services including the COVID testing and vaccine centres present a pathetic sight People are seen standing and loitering for many hours in unending queues This environment becomes an ideal setting for efficient transmission of COVID Thirdly hand hygiene by sanitizing hands by washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time or washing with alcohol sanitiser each time hands touch handles doors fomites etc in public spacesldquoDr Hira said hospital engineers are expected to coordinate the logistics of patientclient processing in all areas of hospitals If they fail to plan smooth client processing despite the fact that crowding disrupts physical distancing which can be risky it should be considered negligence on their part He wondered ldquoIs it difficult to digitally stagger patientsclients in batches per hour instead of block appointments provided by date in Aarogya Seturdquo Dr Hira added ldquoHistorically the public health system across India has ignored to streamline patientsclients with courtesy Instead there is a sense of neglect of health rights in everyone since times immemorial Now that COVID pandemic is seen to be ruthless to such negligent acts itrsquos time that all public frontline workers began to practise COVIDbehaviours starting first with themselvesrdquoOn the other hand Dr Hira said there is an exodus of doctors nurses technicians and administrative staff fueled by burnout trauma and disillusionment in the US ldquoAccording to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll roughly 3 in 10 healthcare workers have considered leaving their profession More than half are burnt out And about 6 in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health Many frontline workers talked about the betrayal and hypocrisy they feel from the public they have sacrificed so much to savemdashtheir clapping and heroworship one day then refusal to wear masks and take basic precautions the next even if it would spare health workers the trauma of losing yet another patient Research has shown that healthcare workers are especially prone to burnout because of the workload pressure and chaos that they deal with Such burnout studies show can result in increased risks to patients malpractice claims worker absenteeism and billions of dollars in losses to the medical industry each year Situation in India and elsewhere is no differentrdquo he addedState minister Aditi Tatkare who is also the Guardian Minister of RaigadDr Wiqar Shaikh professor of medicine at Grant medical college expressed concerns over asymptomatic carriers at vaccination centres and labs He too pitched for entry of beneficiaries patients in fixed numbers with strict adherence to COVIDappropriate behaviour for such places ldquoUnder no circumstances a crowd should be allowed to gather either at testing or vaccination centres If the vaccine is out of stock they should immediately leave the centre for which the centre operators will make appropriate announcements in advancerdquo he saidA state doctor who requested anonymity suggested setting up more smaller units for better distribution of load ldquoThis will by default reduce the overcrowding at one setuprdquo he said putting emphasis on preregistration The doctor added ldquoAlso in areas marked as hotspots home vaccination should be started so that a large area can be covered within a short spanrdquoState Minister Aditi Tatkare who is also the Guardian Minister for Raigad district said ldquoWith an intention to curb any spread of infection we have already separated the vaccination area and the testing centres for COVID The civil hospital in Alibaug is only for vaccination and with private partnership a testing centre is being opened at the Senior Citizen Hall building in Alibaug where RTPCR Rapid Antigen and COVID Antibody test would be conducted at government rate This would help decentralise and reduce the crowd gathering at one place the civil hospital Also directives are given to the staff at these centres to maintain hygiene of the urinals and toilets so that the spread of any infection can be curtailedrdquo