Rapid test finds dy speaker’s personal security officer +ve

Updated: Apr 22, 2020, 12:33 IST

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COIMBATORE: Deputy speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman’s personal security officer tested positive for Covid-19 in the rapid antibody test on Tuesday, according to health department sources. This might put the deputy speaker and his family at the risk of being infected.
The police sub-inspector (SI) was screened after he developed symptoms of Covid-19. Now, his nasal swab has been taken for the PCR test.
A health official, who didn’t want to be named, said, “He tested positive only in the rapid antibody test, which is not confirmatory. We have collected his nasal swabs for the PCR test. If he tests positive for the novel coronavirus, we will trace his contacts.”
The source suggested that the SI could be a victim of community transmission. “He is not from any existing containment zones. He neither had any contact with the earlier (positive) cases nor visited the government hospital. We will have to dig deeper to find his source.”
The public health department is also worried about the fact that the Annur police sub-inspector, who tested positive on Monday, had moved around heavily in the past fortnight. Officials have now begun tracing the sub-inspector’s movements to zero in on her source of infection and trace her contacts. While her house is within an existing containment zone, they have drawn a fresh limit of 5km radius around her place to create a new containment area. The official said she was screened during their drive to cover old containment areas. “She was one among the 281, some of who had mild symptoms, within Annur. And she was the only case that tested positive among the lot,” said Dr Ramesh Kumar, deputy director of public health.
The health department has asked all the police officers, who were in contact with the SI, to remain in home quarantine and report if they developed any symptoms. “She has visited Annur police station, police quarters, Vadakalur, Velayuthapalayam, Periyapudhur, Moonakattiyur and Kanjapaly, where she did vehicle check. We have so far identified 46 close contacts, including her three family members, who will be tested on Wednesday,” the official said.
Meanwhile, 29 Covid-19 patients were discharged from the ESI Hospital on Tuesday. They were sent off in ambulances by district collector K Rajamani and ESI Hospital dean Dr Nirmala. All of them have been advised to remain in home quarantine for 14 days and report immediately if they developed any flu symptoms.