In a bid to battle the coronavirus, the public health department of Maharashtra has directed all districts to ensure that there is increased testing on COVID-19 super spreaders.
In the context of a pandemic, a super spreader is an individual who is more likely to infect others due to his or her regular interaction with a large number of people. On November 11, a circular issued by Dr Archana Patil, director of health services, stated that the spread of the coronavirus intensifies when an individual interacts with many and only timely testing can significantly help lessen the intensity of the second wave of COVID-19 in the state. As per the circular, small traders, people engaged in public transport, home service providers and workers engaged in day-to-day services could figure into this category.
Moreover, the state government has asked the authorities to ensure that there is no complacency in testing adding that the labs should be functional in every district. In addition, the circular from the government's health services directorate dated November 11 added that a second wave of the pandemic is likely in the months of January-February.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, November 12, Maharashtra clocked 4,496 fresh cases of the coronavirus taking the state's COVID-19 tally to 17,36,369. At present, there are 84,627 active cases in the state. With 7,809 COVID-19 patients getting discharged in the day, the number of recovered soared to 16,05,064.
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