Source of Covid-19 infection undetected in 21.35% of cases

In the case of the remaining 3,866 cases, the positives could be detected only through random testing or when they voluntarily showed up

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) identified over 3,866 Covid-19 positive persons through random testing in the one-kilometre radius from where a positive person was traced who were not the first contact of the person but were either living in a nearby area or had come voluntarily to the flu clinic upon experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.

Stranded migrant workers queue to collect health certificate during lockdown, at Jambhulwadi road, near Telco colony, in Pune. (Ravindra Joshi / Hindustan Times)

As the number of cases kept rising, the civic body could not exactly trace the source of infection in these cases. However, despite repeated incidents wherein the source of infection could not be traced, the state insists that there is no community transmission in the state.

Among the 18,105 positive Covid-19 cases reported as of July 1, a major chunk which is 78.45 per cent or 14,204 cases were first contact or index cases while 35 positive were foreign travellers. In these cases, it is confirmed that the source of infection could be foreign traveller or a high-risk contact of the positive case. While in the case of the remaining 3,866 cases, the positives could be detected only through random testing or when they voluntarily showed upon witnessing Covid-19 symptoms.

PMC additional municipal commissioner Rubal Agarwal who is in charge of the health department said, “It is not that the source of infection is not known in these cases. Most of the cases detected through home survey, mobile ambulances or flu clinics are those who come from containment zone. So they are most likely to have come in touch with any positive case. The essential services workers too or the PMC staff which was infected was either living in the containment zone or working in the containment zones. The health workers, policemen and such other categories are also included who interact with multiple people on a daily basis and so they might have come in contact with any positive person.”

In the 1,261 cases that were detected through mobile ambulances, 541 were detected by home surveys and 82 through flu clinics. While 194 were PMC employees and 254 were essential service providers working in essential services. In 1,534 cases, there were other reasons.

While community transmission means that the exact source of infection is not known and is the third stage of the pandemic, the government is still maintaining that there is no community transmission in the country yet. The state health minister, Rajesh Tope while talking to the media on Thursday reiterated that there is no community transmission in the state and in most cases the source of infection for Covid-19 could be found. The PMC is currently tracing over eight close contacts for per positive patient, which were only three contacts at the beginning of April.