Whereabouts of 232 people in Chittoor district who tested positive are not known

Tirupati: The irresponsible attitude of several COVID positive patients has put officials in a state of confusion. About 232 such patients in Chittoor district have given wrong phone numbers and addresses at the time of registration for giving swab at various COVID testing centres in Tirupati.

When they were found positive for Covid-19, the concerned staff tried to contact them to inform and bring them to isolation, they are not getting any response as they are either switched off or wrong numbers. Even they could not be found at their address given in Aadhar cards.

It's learnt that there are about 20 such cases daily in the district which is causing serious concern. There is no chance of alerting them on their COVID result due to which they may move freely in the society which may cause further spread of the virus. This is an alarming situation as nobody is safe until everybody is safe.

The officials are saying that giving wrong information at the time of COVID testing is highly deplorable. To overcome such difficulties, already OTP system was introduced so that to undergo test one needs to give the OTP which is sent to their mobile number. There was an opinion that those patients might have given wrong details out of social stigma and some may be mischievous.

Speaking to The Hans India, district Collector Dr N Bharat Gupta has said that it's a sensitive issue which they have been dealing carefully. "Police were asked to trace out the details and the lists are being sent to concerned ward secretariats. This type of attitude was unfortunate and everyone should feel responsible and provide correct details while undergoing tests", he maintained.