Super-spreader linked to 27 of 38 state cases
CHANDIGARH: Baldev Singh, 70, the only Covid-19 casualty from Punjab, has emerged as the state’s ‘super-spreader’ with total positive cases from his direct contacts touching 27, out of 38 confirmed cases in the state till date.
It was only after his death on March 18 that he was found positive for the virus and the health authorities began unraveling the footprint of infection he had transmitted to persons he had come in contact within 10 days since his return from Germany on March 7.
Out of the five positive cases reported on Friday, four were from close contacts of the deceased who hailed from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar his home district.
It’s only because of Baldev that nearly 20 villages, having a population of nearly 25,000, have been sealed in three districts which the deceased visited after his foreign visit. Eighteen villages in SBS Nagar, which were primarily visited by Baldev’s direct contacts and his religious guru Baba Gurbachan Singh — the head of Bhai Kanhaiya Ji Dera at Pathwala village in the district. Gurbachan has been kept in isolation at SBS Nagar civil hospital.
Baldev is now being cursed for spreading the virus on the social media and famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala has also targeted him through a song themed around virus awareness.
Banga SDM Guatam Jain said 15 villages have been sealed in his area have a population between 15-20,000 and the health department has quarantined around 700 close contacts of those who contracted the virus from Baldev.
Those infected by Baldev include his two-year-old grandson and 14 other family members. Nearly 333 swab samples of symptomatic people have been taken from these villages so far, a health official said and the process is still on.
Baldev, a granthi in the dera, had accompanied his religious guru during his visit to Germany and both kept on visiting the houses of dera followers and relatives. Both had attended Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib where thousands of devotees had gathered. The Punjab health department has also launched a village-wise search across the state to find out those who attended the fair. However, tracking the unregistered visitors has become a Herculean task for the department.
On his return Baldev was screened at Indira Gandhi International Airport and on March 14, a health department team visited him and found nothing wrong about his health.
He was advised self isolation, however, the health department officials are dithering from giving clear information if the deceased was officially quarantined.
On March 16, he fell sick and visited two private hospitals in Phagwara and Jalandhar before he landed at Jalandhar civil hospital. From there he was referred to Banga civil hospital where he died of heart attack and it was only after his death that his samples were taken and he was found positive for the virus.