CANACONA
As many as five of the 16 arrivals from the United Kingdom were found Covid-19 positive which landed on the last UK flight to India on Thursday in Goa.
Two had tested positive on arrival at the airport while three others, who underwent RTPCR tests conducted by Canacona Community Health Centre at Chaudi, came positive on Friday. Reports of two other swabs that were referred for advanced tests came negative on Saturday, informed Canacona Acting Health Officer Dr Jose Tavares.
According to CHC sources, 16 people who arrived from the United Kingdom between 9th and 23rd December were traced from different parts of Canacona and were subjected to Covid tests.
“Two of the arrivals were found positive on their arrival at the airport, while three tested positive after conducting RTPCR tests at CHC Canacona. All the positive patients are, however, asymptomatic. After initially allowing home quarantine all five have been shifted to the Covid hospital (ESI Hospital), Margao, as a precautionary measure and as per government direction,” Dr Tavares said.
According to CHC sources, three were shifted to ESI Hospital on Saturday morning, while two others refused to go to ESI. However, on the intervention of Deputy Collector, the two also relented to be quarantined at the hospital and were shifted late Saturday evening.
CHC also collected samples of two of the patients and sent for specialized tests to verify presence of the UK strain or any different strain of Covid-19. The reports are awaited. The arrivals between 9th and 23rd December are in villages of Loliem-Polem(5), Shristhal(6), Poinguinim(1), Agonda(1) and some in municipal areas(3) of Palolem, Ponsulem, and Sheller.
According to Dr Tavares, samples may also be collected of all the five patients now admitted at ESI hospital and sent for tests in Pune lab to verify the new strain found in the UK.
Canacona administration has also identified arrivals of 17 people in Canacona from 25th November to 8th December and asked Health officials to contact these people.
“Health workers are on a contact tracing spree of these arrivals from different parts of the taluka. Incidentally, we are only contacting them to know their health status. No tests will be conducted. We had also conducted tests of a UK arrival who came to India via Delhi. The report is awaited.”
