Farmers Movement Archive

Another +ve from Nijatam Nagar family; Jalandhar count mounts to 12

Jalandhar, April 10With the third person from the same Nijatam Nagar family testing positive today, the total tally of positive cases in the district has reached 12.The latest person is the 17-year-old grandson of Nijatam Nagar 72-year-old woman, currently admitted to CMC Ludhiana, who tested positive on March 26. While the 47-year-old son of the woman tested positive on Wednesday, the test sample of her grandson came out positive today. While four more patients (barring these two) have tested positive in the past three days, with the contact history of none of them traced, the bustling city area braced itself to the impact of community spread.As many as 2,080 people in the city have been placed under quarantine at present and a majority of these are from congested main bazaar areas, where houses are close together and many of those now tested positive were hobnobbing with crowds until days ago.The Nijatam Nagar elderly woman’s positive sample was the city’s first indication of community spread, as the source of her infection couldn’t be traced and still hasn’t been. She further infected two members of her family. The sample of the daughter-in-law, however, is awaited, while her granddaughter tested negative.Four more patients were reported in the city in the past three days (59-year-old Ayurvedic chemist (now deceased); 65-year-old Bhairon Bazaar woman, 42-year-old Purani Sabzi mandi woman and 53-year-old hospital technician) – all from busy bazaar areas.Meanwhile, in the Nijatam Nagar case, 11 members of the family had previously been tested and all of them tested negative. Discharged from the Civil Hospital and placed under home-quarantine, the 47-year-old son went to hospital again after he had respiratory trouble. He visited a private hospital in Jalandhar, from where he was referred to the Civil Hospital. He had been admitted to the Civil Hospital for a second time since April 5. Six staff members of the private hospital he visited had already been placed under quarantine. Today, his son also tested positive.While earlier the department said the family had a travel history, later it was established to be a rumour.Speaking to The Tribune, the 47-year-old patient from Nijatam Nagar, who is the father of the 17-year-old who tested positive today, said: “We have no travel history and no Italian relative. No foreign relative visited our house. I can give that in writing. Me and my 11 family members were discharged after we were told that our samples have tested negative. I think the transmission of Covid has come to the family from the ashram, where my mother went. My only concern at present is that we receive proper care.”Dr TP Singh, nodal officer, Covid-19 for Jalandhar, said: "The contacts of all patients are being traced. About 2,080 persons in the city are presently under quarantine. As many as 50 contacts have been traced of the 53-year-old technician, who was working at the private hospital, who tested positive yesterday. Further contacts of the patients who tested positive yesterday are also being traced."As many as 18 members of the Civil Hospital medical staff were also been placed under quarantine on Thursday, a day after they complained of inadequate PPE kits.

The Tribune

2020-04-11