Phurpa Lhamo | Punakha 

Despite increasing workload due to the two Covid-19 positive cases in Punakha, essential health services and flu clinic services have been beefed up in the district.

On December 21, the flu clinic in Punakha hospital tested 294 individuals. The following day, more than 800 people took the antigen tests.

“There were a lot of people at the testing area which overwhelmed us,” said Chief Medical Officer of Punakha Hospital, Dr Manish Raj Gurung.

He said that all units in the hospital were open but were manned by a fewer number of staff—apart from around four individuals at the flu clinic, 15 members are part of the surveillance team.

The two mobile teams provide the antigen test services, which tested around 50 persons on December 23.

Dr Manish Raj Gurung said that if cases increased at the clinics, medical professionals from the neighbouring district medical team would be called to assists the teams.“If one district has a shortage, nearby districts should help. But now, since the situation is the same in all the districts, we are managing with the same staff.”

Test samples are shipped in every evening to Thimphu.

“We try to ship the samples to Thimphu early and then collect the samples for the next day, which comes in late,” Dr Manish Raj Gurung said.

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