After seeing some of the first few cases of coronavirus in the state, Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district is no longer considered a hotspot for the virus. With nine cases, Pathanamthitta was listed as a COVID-19 hotspot in the state, even though a district is typically declared as a hotspot when at least 10 people in a cluster are infected.
“We could break the chain,” Pathanamthitta District Medical Officer (DMO) AN Sheeja told TNM. “We have been strictly keeping a check on the situation. A person who is symptomatic would be put under isolation, which can effectively contain the transmission. No symptomatic patient was missed out,” she added.
On March 8, Health Minister KK Shailaja held a press meet announcing five new coronavirus cases in the state. This came after three students who returned from Wuhan in China, the initial epicentre of the virus, had recovered and some were ready to be discharged. These students from Kerala were the first three COVID-19 cases in India.
The sudden announcement of five more cases had sent shockwaves across the state. It was the first time that more than one case had been reported in the state in a single day.
All five patients were announced from Pathanamthitta district. Soon, the focus shifted to the district. The virus, this time, spread from a couple and their son who had returned from Italy. They did not go into home quarantine on their arrival. Instead, they travelled in the district as well to the neighbouring districts.
The other two among the five cases were relatives of the family.
In the days that followed, four more people were tested positive for the virus. This included the elderly grandparents of the Italy family who are above 80 years old, as well as the daughter and son-in-law of the Italy-returned couple. The daughter and son-in-law had gone to pick them up from the Kochi airport. Two other relatives in Ranni, who had come in contact with the index cases, were also tested positive.
However, Pathanamthitta is no longer a COVID-19 hotspot as there has been a steady decline in the number of cases, thus preventing a community spread.
On Friday, April 3, the elderly couple in the cluster was discharged from the hospital after their treatment.
“It was a mistake to include the district in the hotspot as there should be 10 positive cases in a cluster, but we had only nine cases. However, we are relieved that the district has been removed from the hotspot list. It motivates us to move forward,” Sheeja added.
As on April 3, only six people are under treatment in the district.
Cases from Nizamuddin still a threat
However, 26 people from Pathanamthitta district had attended the religious conference in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin, which has now emerged as a major hotspot for the virus.
Three people in the state who attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference have now tested positive for the coronavirus.
“They all are in isolation. We won’t still say that we are out of threat, we still keep vigil,” the DMO said.