Funeral turns super spreader; 50 tribals at Kunchippara colony test Covid positive

KOCHI: The health department swung into action and shifted 50 tribals to domiciliary care centres as a funeral turned a super spreader event at Kunchippara tribal settlement located deep inside the Kuttampuzha forest area. Police and forest officials, Kuttampuzha panchayat president and tahsildar visited the colony along with health officials and convinced the tribals about the need to get hospitalised. 

Thayappan, 95, a tribal leader of Thera colony, had died last week and 20 tribals from Kunchippara colony had attended his funeral. Earlier Thera colony had reported 43 Covid cases. On Tuesday, the health department got information that some people have developed fever at Kunchippara after which a testing drive was conducted on Thursday. Among the 91 people who underwent antigen test, 50 turned positive. The result of RT-PCR test conducted on 15 people is awaited.

On Friday, the health team along with police and forest officials visited the colony and asked the infected people to get admitted to hospitals. Two small kids of a patient and two people with symptoms were also shifted along with the 50 tribals. They were admitted to the domiciliary care centres at Kuttampuzha, Kottappady, Cheerampara, Pindimana and CFLTC at Kothamangalam.

“We have sensitised the tribals of nearby colonies to avoid visiting Kunchippara. We will conduct another mass testing at Kunchippara and Thalavachapara colonies next week,” said medical officer Anoop Thulasi.

PATIENTS SHIFTED TO DOMICILIARY FACILITY
Around 50 tribals tested positive for Covid in the special testing drive conducted in Kunchippara colony in Kuttampuzha panchayat on Friday. According to health officials, those who tested positive are being shifted to the domiciliary care centre in Kuttampuzha panchayat. The patients are being shifted from Blavanakadavu in a ferry to the ambulance vehicles. Officials of the health, police, revenue, forest, tribal and local self-government departments arrived at the colony and assessed the situation. “As of now, we have shifted 30 Covid patients to the DCC. The rest will be shifted on Saturday. The tests are ongoing in the region,” said a health official.