GOPIKAIS By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Establishing primary contacts of the 68-year-old man from Pothencode, who tested positive on Sunday, is proving to be a tedious task. With no travel history, focus is on the various events he attended, including a wedding and two funerals. While the first result coming negative has given rise to some suspicion of the patient contracting the virus from the medical college hospital, experts maintain that it could be a case of false negative based on the kits and reagents. Another possibility is that it takes some time for the antibodies to be detected. The patient, a retired police officer, tested negative in the first test. Later his result turned positive in the second test, results of which came out on Sunday. He is now on ventilator. His route map was published on Monday evening with information collected from immediate relatives. “The district administration has been trying to establish his route map from March 2. According to his relatives, he attended his niece’s wedding, attended by thousands of people at Rajasree Convention Centre in Pothencode on March 2. On the same day, he went to sub treasury office in Medical College. In the subsequent days, he attended four funerals on March 3,11,18 and 20. On March 17, he showed symptoms including cold and cough,” said an official. The patient went to the family health centre in Thonnakal on March 18 and 21 to treat the cold. He was asked to go to Medical College Hospital, but he went to Gokulam Medical College casualty on March 23. From the hospital he was referred to Medical College where he arrived on the same day. According to sources, after the first result came negative, he was set to be discharged when he suffered a heart attack following which he was given ventilator support. Hospital staff quarantined Now, 14 staffers of Gokulam Medical College are under observation. “The patient arrived here by 7.30 pm and left by 9 pm. We have arranged a pay ward for five of the staff members who came into primary contact with the patient. Others are at their respective houses. Most of them are house surgeons and PG students. They do not have any symptoms or difficulties. We quarantined them as a precautionary measure and disinfected the casualty,” said a hospital representative. The staff of Thonnakkal health centre has been sent to the medical college hospital. “They have left with the necessary files too. We have a list of people who came to the hospital on March 18 and 21. We have cleaned and disinfected the centre and it has been shut down for now,” said Venugopalan Nair, president, Pothencode panchayat. He also said that there is fear among locals. “There is also fear mongering. Many are spreading stories and sending people into panic. But the situation is under control now. All are on alert,” he added. The patient’s family including wife, three daughters and two son-in-laws, are now isolated in a house in the city, near Medical College Hospital. The immediate relatives are all quarantined at home. The patient is a tapioca farmer and was involved in selling the produce during the period. The buyers are now being tracked. He had also gone to the Juma Masjid in Vavarambalam a few times. All attendees at the events in which he took part in are also being identified. SAMPLES SENT TO TWO LABS Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that two samples of the patient have been sent to labs in Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram. “Since the primary contacts have not been established we are trying our best to work out the situation. His condition is precarious and is given the best medical treatment now,” he said. Three attack Civil Supplies staff T’Puram: Three persons, including the owner of a supermarket and two of his brothers, were on Monday booked on the charge of attacking Civil Supplies Corporation employees who came to check whether there is any hoarding at the outlet at Menamkulam near Kazhakuttom here. Taluk Supply Officer A M Shanavas and Rationing Inspectors A Sufila and S Simi and driver Jayakrishnan sustained injuries after they were targeted by Johnson Yohannan, owner of the supermarket, and his siblings Nithin K Samuel and Nikhil K Samuel. Kazhakuttom police said the officials had visited the shop a few days ago and asked Yohannan to put up a price list in front of the outlet. Sudheeran flays move to give liquor as medicine T’Puram: Congress leader V M Sudheeran has lashed out at the state government’s move to provide alcohol as medicine to those who show withdrawal symptoms. Sudheeran said the proposal by the Excise Commissioner in this regard should be rejected outright. The IMA and KGMOA have said the proposal is unscientific. KSRTC pensioners to contribute J1 cr to CMDRF T’Puram: KSRTC Pensioners’ Organisation decided to contribute `1 crore towards Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for Covid-19 mitigation. The general secretary of the organisation P A M Asharaf said the organisation had already given `48 lakh to CMDRF. We will complete the target with the support of members, he said.

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