TrivandrumLife I July 8 >> Like Koyembedu market in Chennai, the Kumarichantha market in Thiruvananthapuram has emerged as the ‘superspreader’ in the city. Within a span of few days, more than 150 patients in three wards in Poothura, Manikyavilakam and Puthanpally have tested positive for Covid 19. The health department authorities are planning to conduct antigen test on around 15 % of the population in these three wards.
Around 53 persons were tested positive for Covid from Poonthura alone on Wednesday alone. The district administration and police have closed the market the other day. Of the total 90 cases of local transmission, 60 were from the district.
In the meantime, district collector has banned all fishing activities across coastal regions in the city to prevent further spread of the disease.
The superspreaders are persons or events from where infection is spread to more and more persons. Sources in health department said that it is not sure whether superspreader is a single index person, but Kumarichantha market was the centre of the superspread.
The health department noticed unusual event in Kumarichantha market when an index patient – a fish merchant who used to bring fish from Kanyakumari- was found to be source of infection for 11 persons. After this, around 119 persons were tested positive among 598 tested conducted in the last few days. Health department is worried that a large number of fish vendors from Kumarichantha market have travelled across the city as part of sale of fish and have naturally interacted with a large number of people.
As the numbers are increasing in the wards in and around Poonthura, the health department will conduct antigen tests among residents of three wards in the area. It is planning to cover at least one person in each family.
