Every day, we are waking up to the harsh reality around us. Coronavirus Pandemic has affected over 185 countries around the world with India also severely hit by the deadly virus. India has over 18,601 confirmed cases and 590 deaths recorded so far as of today. The Indian healthcare system is leading a concreted fightback against the COVID-19. Key to stopping the virus outbreak is the timely diagnosis and stopping further transmission in the community. Healthcare officials on the frontline of this battle are at the most risk of contracting the virus. As a result, Kerala Government has come out with an innovative process to help the healthcare officials diagnose the COVID-19 patients without being at risk.
State of Kerala came up with “Tiranga” cars based on the Toyota Innova MPV can be used to identify possible coronavirus patients from the safety of the vehicle. Pathanamthitta district administration launched the Tiranga initiative for rapid screening of the Coronavirus infected citizens. Toyota Innova can accommodate three healthcare professionals driving around the district and identify the zones with the highest proportion of infected citizens. The best bit about this modified Toyota Innova is that the healthcare officials don’t have to come outside of the vehicle and interact with the public. Instead, the officials take the help of the public announcement system to talk to the citizens.
In containment zones, Government officials will ask for the identification documents and ask for details like travel history and fever symptoms. Documents are photographed and catalogued to keep a database. The vehicle is equipped with an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the suspected patient. For a two-way communication with the citizen, a microphone system is installed in the modified Toyota Innova.
The innovative process by the Kerala Government is the first of its kind in India. With containment and buffer zones set-up by the healthcare department to identify the people with Coronavirus symptoms. For anyone found with the symptoms of COVID-19, the team asks them to be isolated for the next 14 days. Plus, any citizen who travelled outside of Kerala in the last 45 days is also required to isolate themselves. Nearest Primary Health care centres note down the isolated citizen details and do the necessary follow-ups to stop further transmission of the virus.
The modified Toyota Innova currently used for identification of infected people is called Rapid Screen Vehicle-1. There is work being carried out on Rapid Screen Vehicle-2 (RSV-2) which will collect samples from citizens showing symptoms of Coronavirus.
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