Tirupati: Tracing Koyambedu contacts becomes a Herculean task

Tirupati: Continuing the spree of Covid-19 positive cases, Chittoor district has registered 11 more cases on Wednesday. Among the new cases, seven cases were reported in Srikalahasti town only. One youth studying CA in Guntur has reached Srikalahasti recently and was tested positive for coronavirus on May 10. All his contacts were identified and sent to quarantine. Now, five of his family members and his friend were also tested positive.

Another four Koyambedu contacts have been found positive, who belongs to Varadaiahpalem – 2, Thottambedu – 1 and Madanapalle–1. One more youth from Srikalahasti also got positive who had gone for testing voluntarily with suspected symptoms. With these 11 cases, the district tally has reached 142 out of which 65 active cases are in hospitals after 77 patients are cured and discharged.

Meanwhile, despite serious efforts from thousands of staff starting from district collector to sanitary staff down the line, the situation is not coming under control for various reasons. Though, the impact of foreign returnees was very less on the district, Jamaat returnees and their contacts have made officials to run from pillar to post.

When those cases have started receding and almost reached zero, Koyamedu contacts have again made officials to stand on their toes as it has become a herculean task for them to find out the links. At one stage, the district had only nine active cases from where Koyambedu contacts have started getting positives to push the number of active cases to 65 by Wednesday along with a few other cases.

Eventhough 15 quarantine centres were identified in the district, only four have been in use now in which 489 persons were quarantined as on date after 132 discharges on Wednesday.

Unless people having Koyambedu links come out voluntarily to report to officials following their appeals and undergo Covid tests, it would be difficult for the district machinery to control the spread of coronavirus.

On Wednesday, district Covid – 19 special officer has visited Nagalapuram, Pichatur and other Covid affected areas while Collector Dr N Bharat Gupta has visited Ruia hospital and reviewed with hospital administration on various issues.