The speed of contact tracing strategies is essential to slow coronavirus transmission, but the delays in Covid-19 testing will significantly hamper this process, warn researchers.

If Covid-19 testing is delayed by three days or more after a person develops symptoms, even the most efficient contact tracing strategy cannot reduce onward transmission of the virus, the study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal, reported.

According to the researchers, improving access to Covid-19 testing, combined with digital that minimizes tracing delays, will be key to the success of a contact tracing approach to reduce the spread of the virus.

“This study reinforces findings from other modeling studies, showing that contact tracing can be an effective intervention to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but only if the proportion of contacts traced is high and the process is fast,” said study author Mirjam Kretzschmar from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

For example, the research team found that mobile apps can speed up the process of tracking down people who are potentially infected.

To be successful, contact tracing measures must keep the rate of transmission of the virus, known as the Reproduction or R number, below one.

This means that, on average, the number of individuals who will be infected by a single infected person must be less than one.

In the study, they used a mathematical model that reflects the various steps and delays in the contact tracing process.

This enabled them to quantify how such delays affect the R number and the fraction of onward transmission cases that can be prevented for each diagnosed person.

The model assumes that around 40 percent of virus transmission occurs before a person develops symptoms.

In the best-case scenario, the model predicts that contact tracing could reduce the number of people a person with Covid-19 passes the virus on to from 1.2 to 0.8.

For this to work, at least 80 percent of people who are eligible must be tested, there must be no delays in testing after the onset of symptoms and at least 80 percent of contacts must be identified on the same day as the test results are received.

If testing is delayed by two days, keeping the R number below one would require contacts to be traced within a day and at least 80 percent of contacts must be identified, the model predicted.

The model assumes that conventional contact tracing takes a minimum of three days and is less efficient at tracking down contacts than mobile app technologies, which are assumed to be instantaneous.

Overall, the study found that reducing the time between a person developing symptoms and receiving a positive test result is the most important factor for improving contact tracing effectiveness.

With over 150 employees in the offices of district collectors and revenue department in Telangana infected with Covid-19, ‘Prajavani’ or the weekly public grievances redressal day is giving jitters to the staff.

Collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs), and Thesildars or Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) are in a dilemma whether to go with the programs held every Monday or cancel them.

Fifteen employees each have been tested positive in the offices of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district collectors in the last couple of days. Twelve employees in six other district collectorates have also contracted the virus.

Several employees in the offices of RDOs and MROs have already tested positive. An MRO died of coronavirus in Mancherial district.

‘Prajavani’ is conducted every Monday at the offices of district collectors, RDOs, and MROs. District collectors, additional collectors, deputy collectors, and other district officials attended the program held at the offices of all 33 district collectors.

People submit applications to the officials about their problems and seek their redressal. The applications pertain to correction in land records, pensions, ration cards, caste certificates, and benefits under various government schemes.

Hundreds of people turn up at collectorates, RDO, and MRO offices to lodge their complaints. Employees concerned receive the complaints and upload them on the website. After the applicants call on the officials concerned, orders are issued on the action to be taken. At least 7-8 staff members have to speak to the people while registering their grievances.

Some employees in the revenue department said this was leading to the spread of the virus. Concerned over the recent spike in cases, the officials have installed boxes at MRO offices so that the people can drop in their complaints.

The Covid-19 cases in the offices of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district collectors have sent the other staff members in a tizzy. Several top officials have stopped coming to offices and few have gone into home quarantine as they had come into contact with those who tested positive.

Three drivers and 12 other employees at Hyderabad collectorate tested positive during the last couple of days.

Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy are the two worst affected districts, accounting for over 70 percent of more than 42,000 cases reported so far in the state.

The state secretariat and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) recently saw many employees testing positive for Covid-19.

The staff at RDO and MRO level are scared as they not only have to attend the meetings but also make field visits to conduct an inquiry into land-related matters or identify beneficiaries for schemes like double bedroom houses for poor.

RDOs and MROs at few places in the state have already asked people not to come to the office but either drop in their applications in the boxes installed outside the offices or contact the village revenue officers on WhatsApp.

Some district collectors are considering the proposal to conduct ‘Prajavani’ through video conferencing to avoid assembly of a large number of people at their offices.

Telangana Revenue Employees Services Association (TRESA) president V. Ravinder Reddy has demanded that the government cancel all the meetings and public interaction programs till Coronavirus is completely contained.

“Several employees who tested positive are facing severe hardships as they are unable to pay the hefty bills at private hospitals. To save the employees from further inconvenience the government should cancel all meetings and such programs where they have to interact with people,” he said.