SALEM: In a peculiar case, a 23-year-old woman from Edappadi in Salem tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, while three of her family members who had attended the Delhi event tested negative for the virus.
Salem district health officials told The New Indian Express that the woman’s father-in-law and her two brother-in-laws had attended the conference in Delhi on March 21 and 22. They had returned to Edappadi on March 23. The woman's husband, a health inspector, did not attend the Delhi meet.
Although the district administration on March 23 had asked all those who had travelled out of the State or country to inform authorities, the health inspector allegedly did not inform officials that three of his family members had gone to Delhi.
However, based on a tip-off, police and health officials went to the family’s house on March 29. Since none in the family had COVID-19 symptoms, health officials placed the three who had gone to Delhi under isolation at the Mettur isolation centre. The rest of the family was quarantined at home.
On April 2, the trio’s samples were sent for testing. On April 6, samples from the woman, her husband and her mother-in-law were sent for testing. When the results came back, the trio that had attended the Delhi meet had tested negative. Similarly, the health inspector and his mother had also tested negative. However, the 23-year-old woman alone had tested positive on Wednesday, officials said.
Explaining how this could be, a health official said that if a person with good immunity was infected, they might recover in five days and not show any symptoms. “In this case, health officials identified the trio only after seven days of their visit and they did not show any symptoms,” the official said.
“But, the virus could have been transmitted to the 23-year-old woman and she may have tested positive due to weaker immunity. She is now at the isolation ward in Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital (GMKMCH) and her condition is stable,” health officials added.
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old Assistant Executive Engineer (AE) at the Mettur Thermal Power Plant also attended the Delhi meet from March 21 to 23 and returned to Salem. From March 24 to March 30, he went to work as usual. He allegedly failed to inform district officials about his visit.
Acting on a tip-off, Mettur police and health officials met the AE on the evening of March 30 and isolated him at the special isolation centre at Mettur. He tested positive for COVID-19 on April 5. Following this, Revenue Officials sealed the second unit of the Mettur plant and placed 18 people who had contact with the AE under isolation.
Salem Collector SA Raman said disciplinary and criminal action would be taken against the health inspector and AE.
In Salem, so far 13 people, including four Indonesian clerics, their guide and another contact have tested positive for COVID-19. Another six persons, who went to Delhi, have also tested positive. The 23-year-old woman is the 13th person and first woman to test positive for COVID-19 in the district.