Four infections have not deterred this Kerala doctor's work in Covid-19 care

A Kerala doctor serving in Covid wards has been tested Covid-19 positive four times. Even then he continues to serve at the Covid wards with his positive attitude remaining undeterred.

Having been infected twice even after taking both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the doctor’s specimen is being subjected to genomic analysis as part of studies into breakthrough infection.

Dr. Abdul Gafoor, a casualty medical officer at the Government Medical College hospital at Manjeri in Malappuram district, was tested Covid-19 positive four times - in May 2020 and in December and April and August this year. He took the Covid-19 vaccine during February and April.

Dr. Gafoor has been working in Covid wards right from the outbreak of coronavirus in Kerala and is still continuing it. He told DH that the first time he was asymptomatic but conducted a Covid-19 test after one of his family members was tested positive. The next three times he had symptoms like fever and loss of smell and taste. Though he did not suffer serious health issues, the frequent quarantine was distressing, he said.

Health department sources said that the specimen collected from the doctor would be sent to the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology for conducting analysis. The state government also recently decided to conduct a genome sequencing study in view of the high breakthrough infection in some districts of the state.

Dr. Gafoor said that he himself was quite eager to know the reason why he was frequently testing Covid-19 positive.