THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Panic struck the state and the Health Department swung into action after five persons from Pathanamthitta — three who had returned from Italy and two of their relatives — were tested positive for COVID-19 on a single day on Sunday.
Kerala had successfully identified three cases, all returning students from the Chinese city of Wuhan, and helped them recover but its task on hand is far more laborious this time as the family did not alert the airport officials or the health authorities on their arrival on February 29, but roamed freely in their native Ranni and beyond, attending a wedding, doing shopping, visiting a church and also going to the SP office.
The Health Department has now encountered a problem that it dreaded the most — local transmission.
To check it, nearly 3,000, including students busy with examinations, are expected to be quarantined. The infected — a man, his wife and their son and two relatives who came into contact with them — are undergoing treatment in the isolation ward of Pathanamthitta General Hospital. Their condition is said to be stable.
Two elderly people who were in touch with the Italy-based family and developed symptoms like fever and fatigue, were shifted to the Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital.
The family slipped through the system by evading officials’ attention at the airport, letting down the state which has been vigilant otherwise. Officials put the blame on the three for concealing key facts to avoid screening.
The Health Department realised the threat only after one of the relatives of the Italy returnees arrived at the Government Taluk Hospital on Sunday with symptoms similar to that of COVID19. Only while inquiring them the department realised a group of three had returned from Italy. When their samples were sent for testing, it turned out to be positive.
The returnees had visited two private hospitals earlier and consumed medicine for fever.“The persons might have concealed the travel history. It came to light only when one of the relatives arrived at the taluk hospital,” said a Health Department official.
Health Minister K K Shailaja said there was no need to panic. “As of now, there is nothing to panic. The department has started tracing the contacts of the infected. The family flew from Venice to Doha and after one-and-a-half hours’ halt at the Doha airport, they boarded the Doha-Kochi flight. The co-passengers of these two flights will also have to be traced,” Shailaja said. The minister said a team headed by Principal Secretary (Health) Rajan Khobragade is overseeing the prevention and control activities being undertaken by the district administration of Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam. The church at Ranni, where the family attended a mass, has been closed. “Both the districts have been asked to remain alert. Ernakulam was included as the family had hired a taxi from the airport to travel to Pathanamthitta. A group of doctors from Alappuzha has been deputed to assist the Pathanamthitta team,” added the minister. The Health Department will take a call on the students’ future after consulting the Education Department as it is the time of examination, including SSLC.
‘NO NEED TO PANIC’
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The state Health Department said it would examine whether the airport surveillance was
up to the mark
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Strain of virus in Italy a worry