Create army of COVID-19 contact tracers: WHO offical to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

Ahmedabad: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday suggested that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) create an "army of contact tracers" to identify people who have come in contact with COVID-19 patients and contain the viral spread.

In a virtual meeting with senior AMC officials, chief scientist of the WHO Dr Soumya Swaminathan stressed on the need to create a big army of contact tracers consisting of students and graduates, and training them as it had been done in United Kingdom and Germany.

According to a release issued here, the briefing, which revolved around showcasing "Ahmedabad Model" of fighting coronavirus, was attended by Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar and officer on special duty Rajiv Kumar Gupta.


Dr Swaminathan showed interest in the AMC's COVID-19 management model, which comprises screening and testing vans, '104' fever helpline service and PPP model of roping in private hospitals for treating patients, the release stated.

"These interventions were very useful and encouraging experiences, which could be adopted by other cities," she reportedly said.

The WHO will soon be providing a platform for sharing the Ahmedabad model with other cities in India and across the world as part of its ongoing exercise of sharing and learning from best practices of COVID-19 management, the release said.

Dr Swaminathan also appreciated the AMC's strategy of using Aarogya Setu Data Intelligence for focussed surveillance and testing, it was stated.