COVID-19 cases in south India till now have travel or contact history, except 1: Govt data

In the instance of a young man who recently traveled from Delhi to Chennai, officials have not been able to confirm any contacts or individuals he may have contracted the virus from.
COVID-19 cases in south India till now have travel or contact history, except 1: Govt data
COVID-19 cases in south India till now have travel or contact history, except 1: Govt data

India’s first cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were first reported in Kerala. Three individuals who returned from China self-reported their travel histories and were tested positive for the virus. Since then, the number of cases have drastically increased and speculations are rife that community transmission has begun. However, from the data that state governments across the country have given so far, it appears that except three cases - one each in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu - the rest of the positive cases are all persons with travel history to foreign countries or those who have come in contact with a positive case.

According to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), out of the 18,383 samples taken so far, 17,493 tests for COVID-19 had been done as on 23 March, 10.45 am. Of this, a total of 415 persons have tested positive, the official statement read.

In Tamil Nadu, there are currently 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one person who has recovered. All of the cases reported have travel history or had been in contact with someone who had been exposed to the coronavirus, except for one. In the instance of a young man who recently traveled from Delhi to Chennai, officials have not been able to confirm any contacts or individuals he may have contracted the virus from. As of Sunday evening, Tamil Nadu has done 453 tests.

The first positive cases in Kerala had all given relevant travel history which would have exposed them to the virus. India’s first patient was a Kerala native student who had returned from China. The second is a native of Kalanad in Kasargod who had come to India from Dubai. The third person is a 47-year-old hailing from Eriyal in Kasargod who had returned to India recently. Subsequently, the next four individuals to test positive were related to the individual from Kalanad (the second person tested positive). As on Monday, 67 cases were reported in the state, taking its total to 64 active cases and 3 recovered. Kerala has taken the highest number of samples in the country so far, with as many as 4035 as on Sunday evening.

In the cases announced on Sunday, ten are from Dubai, two from Abu Dhabi, one each from Saudi, Sharjah and London.

When Telangana’s first positive case was confirmed in Hyderabad, the man’s history revealed that he had recently returned from Dubai and had flown to Bengaluru before travelling to Hyderabad a day later via bus. This put officials in Karnataka and Telangana on high alert as contact tracing had to be done in the two states. Officials isolated a man working in Intel in Bengaluru who had been in touch with the techie confirmed to be positive. He was later found to be negative for the virus. The current number of positive cases in Telangana is 27, all of whom have reported relevant travel or contact history. The Telangana government has not given out details on how many tests the state has done so far.

The first case confirmed in Karnataka was a Dell techie, whose wife and daughter became the second and third confirmed cases in the state. A concert-goer in Bengaluru who'd come from abroad was later confirmed to be positive for the virus and had exposed scores of others who had been at the concert. Another woman who returned from Dubai recently contracted the infection and had transmitted it to her househelp. The current total in Karnataka is 26 cases, including two individuals who recovered. Kalaburagi in the state reported the first COVID-19 death in the country. As on Sunday evening, Karnataka had tested 1387 samples.

There are presently 5 positive cases in Andhra Pradesh, all of whom have either traveled themselves or have been in contact with someone who has traveled from outside the country. Andhra Pradesh has so far tested 164 samples.

Several states and districts have gone into lockdown mode in an effort to contain any further spread of the virus. Practising social distancing and frequently washing one's hands are said to significantly reduce the chance of getting infected.

It is to be noted that the throat swab of the Pune woman who tested positive without travel history was sent for a H1N1 (Swine Flu) test. However, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) also did the COVID-19 test and found that she was positive. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly said that testing has to be expanded to stop the spread of the coronavirus and avoid community transmission. The Indian government has only recently opened up the criteria for COVID-19 tests, allowing even those without travel history to be tested if they have Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), shortness of breath, fever and cough. More tests in the coming days will reveal whether community transmission in India has started or not.

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