MYSURU: With COVID-positive cases continuing to emerge from the Nanjangud pharma cluster, long after authorities putting the company staff and contacts of infected people under quarantine, serious questions are being raised over the efficacy of the quarantine measures taken up the authorities.
While the origin of COVID cases at the Nanjangud pharma company is still to be confirmed, it has come to light that improper quarantining of contacts and employees of the company may have led to the spurt in infections. It is said that contacts and employees of the company were made to share rooms and facilities, including washrooms.
A pharma company employee, who has been under quarantine, told TNIE requesting anonymity, “We were taken away to an institutional quarantine facility. But I was made to share the room with another employee from our company. We were in close quarters and we also had to share the toilet. After a few days, I was shocked to see that he was being taken away after testing positive. Even if I did not get infected from Patient 52 (the first case from the company), I am scared that I would have contracted it from my quarantined roommate.
” District Health Officer Venkatesh said that now, primary contacts are being put in single rooms, and that facilities might have been shared earlier in the case of secondary contacts. However, sources said during the initial days of breakout, getting space for quarantining the suspect cases was difficult as residents from surrounding areas opposed, and multiple people were put in single rooms.
‘Several test positive after 20 days’
Though the first case tested positive on March 26, as on April 15 and 16, which is well beyond the 14-day quarantining period, 11 pharma employees were tested positive, suggesting that quick action and proper quarantine measures could have reduced the numbers.
Patient 52 showed symptoms on March 13 and got admitted to a private hospital on March 21. He was shifted to KR Hospital in Mysuru on March 25. Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar said that it is not unusual to see positives within 28 days, though 14 days is the norm. The quarantining and followup period put together comes to 28 days. He opined that the patient might have set off a chain reaction by interacting with others between March 13 and 26.