Turkish Medical Association says Covid-19 contact tracing, surveillance almost stopped

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has called on the Ministry of Health to restart tests on people who had contact with Covid-19 patients.

"Our reviews after the increasing spread of Covid-19 disease in recent days show that it is vital for the Ministry of Health to resume the test indication for those who contacted [patients]" it said in a written statement on Saturday (August 1).

The TTB also noted that the surveillance and contact tracing activities "have not been done or decreased a lot for a long time," citing provincial medical chambers.

"The inadequacy or discontinuation of both activities lead to the loss of the gains that cost huge labor and losses of lives one by one," it said.

Over the past few days, daily new Covid-10 cases were close to 1,000, increasing from low-900s in mid-July.

Also, the number of patients in intensive care units have nearly doubled since the government's reopening steps in early June. As of July 29, the Ministry of Health stopped announcing the number of intensive care patients.  (AS/VK)