JOIN USAnother woman tests positive for Covid-19 in Bantwal
A 67-year-old woman from Bantwal has tested positive for Covid-19.
She is the neighbour of the 50-year-old woman who died of Covid-19 on April 19, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said.
The 67-year-old woman, suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), was admitted to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru on April 18 and her throat swab samples tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday.
With this, Dakshina Kannada district has reported 16 coronavirus positive cases so far. Out of the 16 cases, 12 patients have recovered and discharged from the hospital and are under home quarantine.
Roads to Bantwal closed
Close on the heels of the first death due to Covid-19, all the roads leading to Bantwal have been sealed by dumping heaps of soil. Ten teams of Asha workers have been visiting all the houses within a radius of one kilometre from the victim's house to collect information on residents.
There are 750 houses in the vicinity. Twenty-three-bed isolation wards are ready in Bantwal Taluk Hospital to quarantine the people suffering from suspected symptoms. The woman, who died from Covid-19 infection and the woman, who has tested positive, were staying in the same compound. The two families were living close to each other, health officials said.
The deceased, Patient Number 390, was actively engaged in supplying food kits to families of the needy after the announcement of the lockdown.
48 quarantined
As many as 48 persons, who had contact with the deceased patient, have been quarantined at the quarantine centre in Surathkal. "The health officials are now tracing the secondary contacts of the woman who died and the woman who has tested positive. A total of 116 people have been identified," a source in the Health Department said.
Visit Fever clinic: DC
Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner has appealed to the people, suffering from fever, cold and breathlessness, to visit the nearest fever clinics.
She said the private doctors, despite a clear directive from the district health and family welfare officer to report any such case to the taluk or district health authorities, have failed to do so, jeopardizing the efforts of the administration in containing the pandemic.
The district administration has been monitoring the health conditions of those who have been home quarantined after their return from foreign countries.
It has not disclosed the personal details of the Covid-19 patients so far. It is the responsibility of the public to inform the district administration about those who arrived from foreign countries to Mangaluru since January without any fear. If anyone is suffering from cold and fever, then they can dial 1077 and seek assistance as well, she stressed.