Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH/MADINAH — The Ministry of Health (MoH) will continue its proactive mopping to track down COVID-19 cases in other cities and governorates in the coming days, after discovering numerous cases in densely populated districts and quarters and compounds set to house laborers in Makkah and Madinah as well as Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Hofouf and Qatif, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited the MoH as saying Saturday.

The campaign falls in line with the directives of the prudent leadership to maintain the safety of nationals and residents in the Kingdom. This is what the proactive mopping field teams have achieved in the above-mentioned cities and governorates.

The mopping process led to exposing numerous cases of contracting the virus, among those who tested positive. In some of the cases, the signs appeared in a very simple way not requiring a visit to the hospital. Others were asymptomatic virus carriers, without showing any symptoms of the disease clearly.

The specialist medical teams are carrying out urgent tests for cases that have socialized with cases that have tested positive for the virus. This is done via the mobile medical van, which is equipped with modern medical equipment. It arrives at the site to conduct tests and take samples for the suspected cases and those that have socialized with them.

The samples are then taken to the laboratories for analysis. These measures take place by locating hotspots and specifying the densely populated districts where there are cases that have contracted the virus. Also, daily bulletins are prepared on the confirmed new cases.

The proactive mopping teams that are working around the clock comprise a number of health specializations, apart from a health awareness and enlightenment team.

Several related government authorities are also participating in these tasks to facilitate the functions of the proactive mopping teams, the MoH said.

They provide translation services to convey the verbal awareness message, aside from translating the medical check-up questions by the proactive mopping team during the testing and checking up of the cases.

They stress the importance of calling the MoH Reports Center at 937 in case of any suspicion of contracting the epidemic. They also inform the workers that the treatment is free of charge, in implementation of the royal order.

The MoH said that the proactive mopping is deemed a precautionary measure, amid a number of measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, to reach people at their residences, discover the infected cases early even if they do not show any symptoms.

This will help in isolating them, implementing precautionary measures, curbing the transmission of the virus to others, and preventing the infected cases from reaching advanced stages of infection.

The teams are facing big health challenges that might necessitate hospitalization in the health facilities so as to provide healthcare to the cases that have contracted the virus.

The Ministry of Health plans to widen the mobile teams’ 24-hours action to track down the infected cases. This will include more housing quarters and compounds, throughout the Kingdom’s cities and governorates.