14 people test positive for Covid in Pataudi village

Gurgaon: As many as 14 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Pataudi’s Baspadamka after TOI reported on Thursday that nine people had allegedly died of Covid-like symptoms in the village.
Those who tested positive in the rapid antigen testing drive on Thursday include a seven-year-old and a 13-year-old child.
Pataudi sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Pradeep Kumar said they had carried out a drive to test people in the village and spread awareness. “We are carrying out tests in rural areas at the state level,” said Kumar. He, however, dismissed any chances of the nine deaths being linked to the virus.
The senior medical officer for Pataudi block couldn’t be reached for a comment on the possible cause of the deaths and the number of Covid cases in the village.
Locals, meanwhile, said around 100 people were tested on Thursday. “We were with the health department team throughout the day and were encouraging people to give their samples for testing. Even though many people didn’t come forward, at least 14 people have tested positive in the village, which has a population of just 2,500,” said Naveen Kumar, who had taken to Twitter to seek help from the government late on Tuesday.
TOI had on Thursday reported that Baspadamka has seen nine deaths this month due to Covid-like symptoms, according to locals. The cause of these deaths hasn’t been confirmed yet because no Covid tests were done. Residents are worried that if the cause is Covid, the virus may spread in the village, which lacks medical infrastructure or testing facilities.
“The people who died were all senior citizens and had Covid-like symptoms, including fever and cough,” Naveen said. When asked why they hadn’t tested for the virus, he said it was due to the “taboo” around the infection and lack of testing centres nearby. Naveen added that his family members recently tested positive, but recovered with timely treatment.