KASARGOD: Of the 32 active cases of Covid-19 in Kasaragod, the district’s health officials are racking their brains over one particular case. A 42-year-old autorickshaw driver of Kodom-Bellur panchayat had tested positive when he was admitted with spinal injuries to the Medical College Hospital in Pariyaram.
Authorities are baffled as the panchayat had no Covid-19 patients prior to this case, and the patient did not have any history of interstate or foreign travel history.
On May 23, two persons, including the autorickshaw driver from Kodom-Bellur panchayat, tested positive for coronavirus. The other person, a 32-year-old man, arrived from Dubai and was admitted to an institutional quarantine facility. Health officials are not able to speak to the autorickshaw driver as he is on a ventilator.
On April 19, the driver climbed a jackfruit tree to pick the fruit. But the jackfruit fell on his head and he fell from the tree, said his family. He was first taken to the Kasaragod District Hospital, which referred him to MCH in Pariyaram. The fall caused severe injuries to his spine and paralysed his limbs, said Pariyaram MCH superintendent K Sudeep. As part of the standard protocol, the hospital tested his swab and found him to be Covid-positive, he said. The hospital has a dedicated operation theatre for Covid-19 patients but he is yet to undergo surgery.
18 primary contacts quarantined
Health officials spoke to the driver’s relatives and identified 18 primary contacts, said DMO Dr A V Ramdas. “They are not showing any symptoms but are quarantined,” he said. The full extent of his contacts, and the source of his infection could not be identified, he said.The patient has an elderly mother, wife, and two school-going children at home.
During the lockdown, he used to pick and drop the owner of a ration shop at Ayyankavu in Bellur, said his family. After the restriction on autorickshaws were lifted, he began ferrying passengers. “The family does not know who the passengers were,” said District Surveillance Officer Dr A T Manoj. Officials expect the passengers to come forward and identify themselves.
New cases on Sunday
On Sunday, the district recorded five more positive cases. They are two persons, aged 44 and 47 years from Paivalike panchayat; one 41-year-old Kumbla; a 32-year-old from Mangalpady; and one 60-year-old from Vorkady. All of them had come back from Maharashtra.