People undergoing Covid-19 tests in Tirupati but providing incorrect contact information are posing a challenge for the authorities in tracing those who tested positive among them.
This in turn is hindering the containment measures in the popular temple town where new Covid-19 cases are adding every-day in alarming numbers.
The health, municipal and police officials in Tirupati are presently in search of at least 180 such people who have tested positive in the tests conducted on them.
The number of such “untraceable” positive persons is about 40 in the rest of the Chittoor district, where Tirupati is located.
“We have filed a police complaint to trace these “missing” people,” collector Dr. Bharat Gupta says.
Chittoor, adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, has 5939 cases as of Thursday morning, about one-third of them from Tirupati.
While pilgrims in limited numbers and the required TTD staff are being allowed onto the Tirumala hill, the abode of Lord Venkateswara; Tirupati town is declared a containment zone and is under lockdown till 5 August.
“Hundreds of samples are collected everyday making it impossible for the medical teams to diligently verify the mobile numbers, Aadhaar, address etc., information being provided. These erroneous instances would be just about five percent but such irresponsibility of a few puts themselves and others at risk,” the collector says.
Dr Gupta told DH that they are devising a way out, by adopting a mobile OTP verification method, in line with the ICMR prescribed guidelines for Covid-19 tests.
“While some individuals give wrong mobile numbers intentionally fearing social stigma, in other cases, it is under confusion and tension while undergoing the tests. These reasons vary but not even one positive person should remain untraceable in order to contain the spread. So, we have asked the Tirupati municipal and police officials to trace the 180 odd positive people missing in Tirupati,” Dr P Penchalaiah, Chittoor district medical and health officer, told DH.
Such people undertaking tests would be a futile exercise since they would not know the results if they give wrong mobile numbers, the DMHO laments.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has added 7998 new cases on Thursday morning – its highest single-day spike till now. The state has registered 72711 cases till now, 34272 of them active and 884 deaths.