Provincial Rapid Response Team named for COVID-19

PESHAWAR: The competent authority has constituted the Provincial Rapid Response Team at the Directorate General Health Services (DGHS) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for coronavirus (COVID-19).

The team included Dr Ikramullah Khan, Director Public Health DGHS Team lead, Dr Syed Wasif Javed TSO, FELTP, PDSRU epidemiologist, Dr Yasir Yousafzai Director PHRL, KMU IPC Expert, Dr Amjad Mehboob Assistant Professor BKMC Swabi Clinician, Sajid Nazir Lab Technician, PHRL KMU, Lab technician, Khurshed Logistics Officer DGHS Logistician Risk, Sohaib Communication Officer, DGHS communication/information and Ibrahim Psychologist, DGHS Pscho-social support,

it was notified by the Health Department,Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Provincial Rapid Response Team will provide technical assistance to the District Rapid Response Team wherever required besides review and facilitating the surveillance activities.

It will also assist and perform a rapid risk assessment to evaluate COVID-19 outbreak and determine the level of threat.

The team will guide the District Rapid Response Team in investigation and verification of targeted cases or their contacts.

It will support the conduction of systematic contact tracing and active case finding for effective control of a potential COVID-19 outbreak, assist and guide district RRT in safe collection and packaging of sample from a suspected case in compliance with administrative requirements for transportation to reference laboratory.

The team will play a role in engaging communities in activities to control the outbreak in the field by assisting District Rapid Response Team in addition to advising safe and dignified burial of COVID-19 cases to limit the spread the virus in the community.

It will technically assist the relevant authorities in the identification of appropriate places for isolation and quarantine and carry out out any other responsibility assigned by the Health Department or DGHS.