A wedding ceremony in Bihar has set off the biggest coronavirus infection chain in the State where 101 persons, who attended the function, have tested Covid-19 positive.
The groom, who travelled from Gurugram (in Haryana) to Paliganj (in rural Patna) by car, died two days after his wedding. His family members cremated him in a huff without getting the Covid-19 test done or informing the authorities.
The health department officials went into a tizzy after getting the news. Altogether 369 persons, including the cook, vegetable vendors, decorators, drivers, helpers, labourers (engaged in the erection of wedding stage) and other guests, were asked for sample tests. Of this, 101 were found to be afflicted with Covid-19.
“Initially, 15 of the relatives of the groom tested positive. The groom, who was a software engineer in Haryana, was running with high fever even during his wedding day (June 15). He was reportedly reluctant to marry owing to his poor health condition. However, his father, a school teacher at Paliganj, asked him to take paracetamol and complete the wedding rituals,” said a health department official, wishing not to be identified.
“On June 17, the groom’s condition deteriorated. While being rushed to AIIMS-Patna, he died,” said Dr. Abha Kumari, in-charge of the government hospital in Paliganj.
A special camp was eventually organised on June 25-26 in the village where the marriage function took place. “Samples of over 350 persons were collected, out of which 86 tested positive. This excludes the 15 relatives of the groom,” said the source.
Patna is one of the worst-affected districts in Bihar with 699 Covid-19 cases and five deaths. The State, which has so far reported 9618 cases, saw the biggest spike on Monday with 394 fresh cases.
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