A hamlet in Rayagada district of Odisha may find a prominent place in the COVID-19 map, with close to 40% of its population infected with the novel coronavirus.
The district administration has sealed the border of Vijaypur, on the outskirts of Gunupur town, as 90 of the 230 residents were found infected with the virus.
The source of infection is said to be a family that had migrated from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu on May 20. The family, comprising a couple and a four-year-old child, was kept in institutional quarantine for a week and then asked to undergo home quarantine on May 27. On June 6, the man developed symptoms.
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“We collected the sample that tested positive on June 13. As the family was staying in a small hamlet, we collected samples randomly. We detected 16 positive cases... Subsequently, we decided to put the entire population to the test. Now, we have found 74 cases,” Chief District Medical Officer Artabandhu Nayak said.
Contact-tracing revealed that the family had not stepped out of their village in the past one-and-a-half month, Dr. Nayak said. The administration has declared Vijaypur a containment zone, and is keeping a close watch on the movement of villagers. The family is responsible for the infection of 90 villagers. When it had returned from Coimbatore, the district did not have a single case.
Meanwhile, the State government announced a 45-day, door-to-door survey of all villages and urban areas. Accredited social health activists will collect information about symptoms and other ailments.
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“We urge people not to hide their symptoms. They should share all health information with health workers,” chief COVID-19 spokesperson Subroto Bagchi said, adding that the government would emphasise trace-test-treat.
The government has also decided to begin plasma therapy in four major health institutions. A technical committee will be constituted for its implementation.
Odisha on Friday reported 561 cases, its biggest daily increase. The total number of cases increased to 8,106.
The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar has been chosen by the Indian Council of Medical Research for human clinical trials of India’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The IMS and SUM Hospital is also among the four institutions that will undertake plasma therapy.