Coronavirus: 25 out of 67 in Tamil Nadu have contact or travel history with Thai nationals

25 out of 67 confirmed Covid-19 patients in Tamil Nadu are from one cluster as they are direct or indirect contact of two Thai nationals who have tested positive for Coronavirus.

And what has sent government officials into a tizzy is the fact these two Thai nationals and preachers from countries like Indonesia were part of a religious congregation in New Delhi earlier this month in which more than 1,500 people from the state had participated.

16 of those who attended the conference in New Delhi from Tamil Nadu have tested positive for Covid-19. At least 10 of these have direct contact and history with the two Thai nationals quarantined at the IRT Perundurai Medical College (IRTPMC) in Erode district after testing positive for Covid-19.

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The congregation was organised by Tableeqi Jamaat and people from across the world had participated in the religious conference. After attending the event, a group of Thai nationals travelled to Erode where they were quarantined and two of them tested positive for Covid-19.

Since 25 of the direct/indirect contacts of these Thai nationals have so far tested positive for Covid-19, authorities here are worried about the status of more than 600 people out of the 1,500 whose identity is yet to be traced. Of the 25 patients, 21 are from Erode district with 17 being admitted at the IRT Perundurai Medical College (IRTPMC) and four at the ESI hospital in Coimbatore.

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“We have identified 981 out of the 1,500 people. Several of them have either been admitted them to hospitals or quarantined at government facilities. Their family members are being quarantined at their homes,” a senior official with the Health and Family Welfare Department told DH.

These people belong to Nagapattinam, Erode, Tenkasi, Madurai, Vellore, Dindigul, and Perambalur districts. Efforts to find the remaining 500 people has been expedited and they would also be quarantined soon, the official said.

The officials are concerned about the travel history of these people who returned from New Delhi and their contacts. “We are certainly worried because 25 of the 67 who have tested positive have had direct or indirect contact with the Thai nationals. This is the cluster we are worried about as we don’t know the travel or contact history of these people,” he said.