Thiruvananthapuram: A dedicated network of 22,000 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, lab technicians and ambulance drivers, who are better known as the Covid Brigade, will step down from service on Thursday, Sept 30, after completing a one-year contract period.
These COVID-19 warriors were appointed through the National Health Mission last year to carry out treatment and relief work since the Health Department personnel alone were not able to manage the acute COVID-19 crisis.
The members of the brigade have done selfless work along with the staff of the State Health Department during the crisis. Many times, they had risked their lives, while extending help to those in distress and pain due to the pandemic.
Their contract period, which ended on March 31, was extended by another six months. Though there was clamour from the districts for extending their service for another six months, the state government did not heed likeky because the number of COVID-19 cases are coming down across the state.
Kerala recorded only 12,161 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The numbers were several times over this as the pandemic became acute, especially in its second wave last summer.
