The Kozhikode district administration has begun efforts to trace those who may have been in contact with the four persons from here who tested positive for COVID-19 after they returned from the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi last month.
District Medical Officer V. Jayasree has urged people who had not yet contacted the district COVID-19 cell after returning from the Tablighi meet to do so as early as possible. The phone numbers are 0495-2376063 and 2371471.
At railway station
Residents of Kozhikode who were present on the first platform of Kozhikode railway station between 6.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 15 and who travelled by the S5 compartment of Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Express on the day have been asked to contact the district control room. People from other districts should contact their respective district control rooms. Those who were present on the fourth platform between 6.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 22 and people who travelled by S4 compartment of the Navyug Express on the day too should do the same.
Passengers on board Dubai-Kochi Air India Express flight IX 434 on March 21 also should contact the control room. They should be under home isolation for 28 days and should not go directly to hospitals for check-up. Control room numbers are 0495-2373901, 2371471, and 2371002.
Hotspot
The district has been on high alert even though the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases reported from here is fewer compared with those in some other districts. With the Centre declaring it as one of the hotspots that require more attention to prevent a spread of the infection, the authorities are reportedly not taking any chances.
So far, only 12 people have tested positive for the virus from Kozhikode and all of them had links to foreign countries or the Tablighi meet. The district administration has reportedly put under observation their primary as well as secondary contacts.
Three people have recovered from the infection. Around 22,000 people are under observation in the district.
Lessons learnt
One of the advantages of the health apparatus here has been the lessons they learnt during the Nipah outbreak in 2018. The fever surveillance system and contact tracing mechanism developed then came in handy now.
Soon after the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise across the State, the administration launched a portal titled ‘COVID-19 Jagrata’ to collect information on people affected or quarantined for their surveillance, care and support. According to the officials, it turned out to be a “one-stop-platform for the public to avail emergency services and information related to COVID-19”. It also “ensures transparency and quality in public services and welfare measures”. The portal collects information right from the primary health centre level. If any of those under observation develops symptoms, the information is passed on to the district medical control team. Instructions are given to them through video-conferencing and they are taken to the Government Medical College Hospital by designated ambulances.
