A 67-year-old Vanchiyoor native who was brought dead to the General Hospital here on Friday was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday. With this, the district has registered its fourth death due to the disease.
Suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he was confirmed dead on June 12.
His swab samples tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 on Monday and the source of infection is unknown.
The deceased, who used to work as a daily wager, had received treatment at the General Hospital between May 23 and 28 for severe breathlessness and fever.
He was brought to the hospital again on June 10 when he was treated in the casualty wing for breathlessness.
He was then referred to the Government Medical College Hospital here from where he was discharged the next day. He was brought dead two days later, official sources said. The body is currently kept at the mortuary of the hospital.
While he had no history of travel in the recent past, the younger of his two sons had travelled to his wife’s house in Pathanamthitta on May 28 and returned a few days later, according to Vanchiyoor councillor Vanchiyoor P. Babu.
Primary contacts
The deceased’s primary contacts include his wife, two sons and brother-in-law who resides with the family.
V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, has alleged lapses in the timely detection of COVID-19 in the deceased man.
A day after an ASHA worker tested positive for COVID-19 in Kattakada, the district administration declared six wards in the Kattakada grama panchayat as containment zones.
Under lockdown
Strict lockdown measures will come into effect in Thoongampara, Ponnara, Ettiruthy, Killy, Kavinpuram and Kollode wards.
While the authorities have been unable to establish any epidemiological link to detect source of infection, they have identified over 500 persons who came in close contact with the Kulathummal native.
A detailed ‘patient route map’ that traces the travel history of the ASHA worker has also been published.
Attached to the Amachal primary health centre, she had visited several houses at Perumkulam and Moonampara, and also participated in field visits at Oonampara, Thampuram Road and Thoongampara since May 31.
She also took part in meetings of ASHA and Kudumbashree workers, visited a hospital sub-centre at Pottankavu, and engaged with 35 others in an activity undertaken as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
