Infected Punjab trucker detained in Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN: A Covid-19 patient, who had tested positive in Fatehgarh, Punjab, last week, was detained by the Uttarakhand Police in the Bazpur border area in Udham Singh Nagar on Monday.

The patient is a truck driver. Officials are trying to figure out how he managed to come all the way from Punjab.

A health bulletin issued by the Uttarakhand government on Monday stated that the Fatehgarh district commissioner had confirmed that a 47-year-old male patient had tested positive in the area on May 7.

The district administration immediately isolated the patient at Susheela Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani and has started treatment as per protocol.

Udham Singh Nagar chief medical officer Dr Shailaja Bhatt said, “We are trying to find out how the patient managed to come here all the way from Punjab. In the meanwhile, we have isolated him at the hospital.”

“Another person, a resident of Nanakmatta, accompanied him. The patient’s companion has been quarantined at a health facility and his samples have been sent for testing again as he had tested negative on May 7,” said Dr Bhatt.

According to officials, the truck driver was detained by police officials by tracing the location of his vehicle after the Punjab administration notified the Uttarakhand government.

The Uttarakhand health department will not count the new patient in the state’s tally of cases.

Public relations officer of the state health department JC Pandey said, “Since the patient tested positive in Punjab and not Uttarakhand, he is not being included in the state’s tally. However, he is being treated here as per protocol.”

As of Monday, with nine active cases, Udham Singh Nagar has the maximum number of active cases in the state. The doubling rate of cases in the district (based on the average of the past seven days) was found to be 9.9 days, whereas the doubling rate in the state is 45 days.

Uttarakhand has had 68 positive cases and 46 recoveries. At present, there are 21 active cases in the state.