While all border villages, including Kulathupuzha, which has been declared a hotspot, remain on high alert, authorities are finding it difficult to trace the contact history of the person (P10) who tested positive on Tuesday. The 31-year-old from Kulathupuzha had visited Puliyankudi on April 4 and stayed there before returning on April 6.
“The person was into substance abuse and currently he is showing severe withdrawal symptoms. He is not in a stable mental condition now, turning violent often. Since he was also a supplier, he is not very keen on revealing all his contacts. The person is asymptomatic with no serious health issues,” said an official on Wednesday.
According to the Health Department, though the possibility of a cluster cannot be overruled, many persons in the high-risk category are testing negative as of now. “We have identified 18 primary contacts and 29 secondary contacts. While five persons who come under the high risk category have been moved to medical isolation, the rest are staying at a corona care centre. We are planning to screen the entire population using special squads and all routes leading to the village will be closely monitored. At the same time we are prepared for the worst and all arrangements are in place to face any contingency,” said Deputy District Medical Officer (Deputy DMO) R. Sandhya.
Since prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are in place at Kulathupuzha and two other border villages, only medical stores and shops selling essential commodities were allowed to function on Wednesday.
According to the route map issued by district administration, the patient had travelled in a vegetable truck and walked through the Venture estate at Aryankavu to reach Puliyankudi.
“His uncle who has been staying with him in the same house visited many places in the village during the last few days. We are taking all precautions and following all guidelines for hotspots issued by the government,” said Kulathupuzha village panchayat president P. Lailabeevi.
Random checks
The sentinel surveillance team formed to identify and prevent community spread has started random checks in the district. The team will be collecting the samples from places where the chance for community transmission is higher. In Kollam 70 percent of the positive cases were asymptomatic and the team is expected to bring down the threat by focusing on prevention. They will collect the samples of all those who come into contact with patients including health workers. The team will be visiting hospitals and various spots on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, collecting samples from high risk areas. Patients who visit hospitals with fever and sore throat, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, police, ASHA workers, home delivery personnel, guest labourers and those who are currently under home quarantine will be given priority. “We are using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method to test samples and when rapid test kits are available we will start serosurveillance as well,” said DMO R.Sreelatha. On the first day the team visited Kollam District Hospital and primary health centres in Thrikkadavur and Palathara. It will head for Kulathupuzha on Saturday.