The close contacts of a Kasaragod resident, who travelled by the Dubai-Mangaluru Air India Express flight and has tested positive for COVID-19, have been jointly traced by the surveillance teams from Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod (Kerala) districts and have been home quarantined, said Health and Family Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu here on Tuesday.
The Kasaragod resident arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport on March 14 and had tested negative for COVID-19 during the screening at the airport. Later, he left by a private vehicle to Kasaragod where he was under home quarantine. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh said they worked in coordination with Kasaragod surveillance team in tracing all the passengers in the flight and also those in the vehicle the passenger travelled to Kasaragod. They are being home quarantined for 14 days as per the standard operating procedure.
Earlier, during the review of the preparedness of the district to combat COVID-19, Mr. Sriramulu said the Chief Minister has approved setting up a virology laboratory at the Government Wenlock Hospital. The government has approved setting up such laboratories in Government Medical Colleges in 17 districts.
“As Mangaluru is close to Kasaragod and gets good number of patients from other parts of Karnataka, we will have a laboratory here shortly,” Mr. Sriramulu said.
The hospital representatives said laboratory will be a reality in two weeks from now.
Presently the throat swab samples from Dakshina Kannada are being sent for testing to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. Four other authorised laboratories are at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, National Institute of Virology Field Unit in Bengaluru, Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute, and Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences. Four additional testing laboratories have come up in Bowring and Lady Curzon Hosptial and three other hospitals in Bengaluru.
