Fresh cases being reported in new areas are giving Chandigarh admn nightmares

CHANDIGARH :Early containment measures of the administration appear to have failed ever since the coronavirus started entering new territories in Chandigarh.

Since April 25, positive cases have been reported in the densely populated Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar and Sector 52, areas that were earlier Covid-free. As these cases were linked to the infected health workers at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, the health authorities had claimed that the situation in these localities was well under-control.

NEW CASES UNRELATED TO PREVIOUS ONES

A major cause of worry for the administration, however, was the discovery of fresh cases in erstwhile unaffected area of Sector 15 and resurgence of a new case in Sector 38 (where earlier two cases were reported but were cured) that have no links to the existing Covid patients.

For instance, a 79-year-old lady who stays with her husband in the B block of Sector 38 had no travel history, and the couple stayed mostly indoors. Her case came to light when a neighbour took her to the Government Multi-speciality Hospital in Sector 16 on April 27 after she developed mild symptoms. Since then, 13 of her family contacts and 222 community contacts are being intensely monitored.

“The situation in the area is under control, but the positive case of an old lady who hadn’t been going out much even for buying essentials is a sign of worry. It may be indicative of the fact that the virus is somewhere in the community, which needs to be identified at the earliest,” said an official involved in contact tracing, seeking anonymity.

PANIC GRIPS SECTOR 15

Considered one of the safest areas, panic has now gripped

Sector 15 after a 67-year-old resident of Block A was found positive early Friday morning.

While the UT officials in the media bulletin claimed that the source of infection was being investigated, a close family member of the patient told the Hindustan Times that the man had no travel history. He had only been going out occasionally to buy essentials from the market, the family member said, on the condition of anonymity.

The Sector-15 man was admitted in the emergency ward of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Thursday 4pm after he complained of chest pain. He was later shifted to the advanced cardiac centre, where he was sampled and later, tested positive, said the kin.

Surinder Sharma, president of Sector-15 resident welfare society, said, “After the case (came to light), the police blocked two-three lanes around the infected person’s house and MC vehicles sanitised the area. But my appeal to the UT is that they should conduct intense screening and testing, otherwise the situation may spin out of control here,” he said.

19 AREAS UNDER WATCH

To begin with, the virus in Chandigarh was restricted to only a few areas like Sectors 19 and 21. The cases reported here were mostly the primary contacts of the girl who returned from the UK in mid-march, the city’s first positive case.

But the virus gradually spread its wings in as many as 19 areas (see map).

As of now, there are no active cases in sectors 19 (2), 21 (5), 29 (1) and 35 (1), but the biggest concern for the administration is the Bapu Dham Colony, where the number of infected cases has crossed 37, followed by 16 cases in Sector 30B.

Another slum area, Kachi Colony in Dhanas, appears relatively safer now. After one positive case of a PGIMER health worker reported on April 18, no fresh case has emerged here.