KOCHI: After a junior public health nurse at the Family Health Centre (FHC) at Chovvara, tested positive for Covid-19, 63 children who had come to the centre for immunisation have been placed under room quarantine. According to the health department authorities, it is suspected the nurse contracted Covid from her husband. “The nurse’s husband used to transport firewood and other goods in his autorickshaw. It is suspected he might have been the source of infection of the nurse.
Though she developed Covid-19 symptoms first, chances of her coming in contact with anyone outside her social circle are slim. It will be some time before we gather enough information to prepare a route map of the places the nurse’s husband travelled to,” said Gireesh, health inspector of Sreemoolanagaram panchayat.
He said the children had come to the FHC for their prescribed immunisation. “The children are aged between 45 days and 10 years. They have been placed under quarantine with their parents,” said Gireesh.
“As many as 13 staff of the Chovvara FHC and three staff belonging to Kalady Primary Health Centre (PHC) have also been placed under quarantine,” said Gireesh. “The staff at the Kalady PHC came into contact with the nurse when they came to the FHC,” he said. Hence, 142 persons have been placed in quarantine at Sreemoolanagaram.
On Wednesday, swabs were taken from those quarantined and they are being tested at the mobile clinic. “If they test positive, the patients will be shifted to the Covid care centre at Aluva and Kalamassery,” said Gireesh. On Tuesday, the district administration declared wards 1, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of Sreemoolanagaram as containment zones. The nurse had taken part in the immunisation programme held on June 16 and 17.