Three docs among 40 hospital staffers put under quarantine

THERE IS NO CLUE FROM WHOM THE 51YEAR-OLD CONTRACTED THE VIRUS AS SHE HAS NO FOREIGN TRAVEL HISTORY, SAYS DIST EPIDEMIOLOGIST

LUDHIANA: The swab samples of 51-year-old Ludhiana woman were found positive for coronavirus, making her probably the first case of community transmission of Covid-19 in Punjab.

Community transmission is whenthereisnocluefromwherea patient contracted the virus. District epidemiologist Divjot Singh confirmedthatshewaspositivefor the virus and she doesn’t have a foreign travel history.

The health authorities have quarantined her family members,including husband and son, and other relatives. The house and boutique of the patient have also been sealed for fumigation. There is large-scale concern as the patient was actively taking part in social events till last week.

The health department is also tracing the people who had come in her contact in the past fortnight. Sources in the family said her health began to deteriorate after March 15.

The news put the administration of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital on alert, and it put 40 staffers, including three doctors, who had come in her contact to house quarantine. The patient had visited the hospital for check-up twice in the past week .

It has come to light that besides running a boutique where she attended customers, the woman attended an exhibition, went for movie on March 9, a couple kitty party on March 11, prayer meetings on March 11 and 18 and satsang on 17. Hospital secretary Prem Gupta said the district administration should dedicate one hospital or at least a separate building to treat suspected/confirmed corona cases.