Covid-19: Padarayanapura susceptible to community spread, says BBMP

BENGALURU: With seven Padarayanapura residents who were neither contacts of Covid-19 patients nor had stepped out of their homes during the lockdown, testing positive, state authorities on Monday said the sealed ward was susceptible to community transmission of Covid-19.
Padarayanapura, which was sealed a month ago following cluster infections, has reported 47 infections so far — 16 of them primary contacts and 11 secondary contacts of Covid-19 patients. Besides the seven patients who tested positive in random sampling, contact tracing is under way for 12 patients; the remaining patient is from a fever clinic.
“We have sent throat swab samples of 216 residents chosen randomly and seven of them have turned out positive. Not all results have come. The positives are likely to increase,” a senior BBMP health official said. “Since community spread is suspected, we are intensifying the random sampling,” said Lokesh, special commissioner in BBMP in charge of Covid-19 surveillance.
“We are working with health experts who will be able to analyse the situation in Padarayanpura better and ensure that Covid-19 incidence is contained, “ said health commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey. Two days ago, medical education and state Covid in-charge minister K Sudhakar had visited Padarayanapura and directed authorities to test all residents for Covid-19.
Community transmission marks the third stage of the spread of a virus when the source of infection cannot be traced. Asked if community transmission has occurred anywhere in India, joint secretary in the Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said at a news conference on Monday, “Some clusters have been found (in the country), and in some particular locations relatively large outbreaks have also been noticed.” An ICMR study is on in 75 districts to test people for antibodies and establish if they unknowingly contracted the infection and recovered from it without showing any symptoms.
‘Residents dodging curbs’
From Padarayanapura, the first random sample to test positive was on April 28, of a 48-year old man with no symptoms of Covid-19. “All the seven people who tested positive during the random sample collecting drive said they have neither met any known Covid-19 patient or contact, nor stepped out of their homes during the lockdown,” the BBMP health official said. “Residents are allowed to step out of their homes only to buy vegetables and rations. We suspect it is during these outings that the virus is spreading.”
The BBMP official said people were dodging authorities and violating movement curbs in the ward despite sealing.