Two doctors test positive, take Covid-19 tally to 126

Updated: Apr 14, 2020, 08:10 IST

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COIMBATORE: Two post-graduate doctors from Coimbatore Medical College Hospital who were deputed to ESI Hospital almost three weeks ago have tested positive for Covid-19. Five others from the district also tested positive, taking the total number of cases on Monday to 126.
The source of infection is under investigation because hospital authorities said both doctors did not treat any Covid-19 patients.
Though the number of cases recorded in the district on Monday was relatively lower at 7, it did send a shockwave through the public health department and district administration. The two doctors, aged 29 and 25, were deputed to ESI Hospital from CMCH to man the outpatient ward. “They last saw patients around 10-12 days back... they have been quarantined. Since they had fever, they were tested and it turned out positive,” said ESI dean Dr Nirmala.
Out of the other five patients, while two were family members of delegates who attended the New Delhi conference, one of them is the daughter of the 70-year-old man from Palakkad who died on April 10.
The other two patients include a five-year-old boy from Kinathukadavu and a 61-year-old man from Vadamadurai. The 61-year-old man, a personal assistant of a former MP, had a travel history to Delhi and returned on March 24. “However, the worrying factor was that he was not under home quarantine and often visited public places, including the district collectorate. Tracing his contacts is going to be an uphill task,” said a senior health department official.
The source of infection of the minor boy from Kinathukadavu’s could not be traced as of Monday. He is the son of a conservancy worker and was taken to the local health centre with cold and cough. “Since we began testing all cold and cough cases, we tested him and found him positive,” said Dr G Ramesh Kumar, deputy director of public health.
To take immediate measures, the health department has requested the PA’s family and the five-year-old boy’s family to move into ESI for isolation, while they are tested. “Meanwhile, as per protocol we have cordoned off the roads where their houses are located... even if the infection source is not traceable, containing the spread is our focus,” said district collector, K Rajamani.
Meanwhile, Tirupur recorded 18 new cases, taking its total count to 79.