CHENNAI: The Health Department took samples from 15 contacts of a Tamil Nadu student, who returned from the United Kingdom on Monday and tested positive for Covid-19. Speaking to the press after inspecting the Chennai Airport on Thursday, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said the genomic sequence study report of the sample of the student from UK would be received mostly by Monday.
The sample has been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. He said the student is stable and receiving treatment at the exclusive Covid hospital at King’s Institute in Guindy. Apart from the 15, as many as 70 others who travelled in the same flight on Monday have also been asked to go for Covid test.
He also said the health department identified 2,724 passengers, who landed in TN from November 25 to December 23, either from UK or transited via that country. Among them, samples were lifted from 511 passengers. Also about 38,000 passengers, who arrived from countries other than the UK recently are also being monitored. The Health Department is maintaining the list of all passengers who returned from the UK in the last few months along with their addresses.
The department, in fact, traced the 111 passengers who travelled to other States after returning from the UK. Radhakrishnan said that a cargo flight arrived from Britain on Thursday and the officials isolated all the crew members in it. They were also tested for Covid and sent to a hotel for institutional quarantine. The officials also insisted that the cargo handlers and people at the entry point should wear PPE kits.
Three passengers, who landed in domestic airports, didn’t cooperate with the officials at the airport since they tested negative in Delhi. Those passengers were also traced to Tirunelveli, and later isolated. The health secretary also warned that police complaints will be filed against such people who do not cooperate with the officials. Saying that already two to three new strains of the virus were found in India in the past, he said, no matter what strain is circulating, people should wear masks and also wash hands regularly till the vaccine arrives.
‘Health workers first’
Radhakrishnan said around five lakh health workers will receive the vaccine first and the list is ready. The State has prepared a list including health workers, frontline personnel like police men, and people less than 50 years of age with comorbidities and also those above 50 years of age. Speaking to media at the Chennai airport he said as many as 21,000 personnel are trained to administer vaccine and 46,000 centres have been identified for immunisation