High Alert In Telangana As Neighbouring Countries Sees Spike In COVID-19 Cases

The spike in cases of COVID-19 in South East Asia and countries closer to India like Nepal and Sri Lanka has put the surveillance teams and public health officials in Hyderabad on high alert.

The COVID-19 positive cases in neighbouring countries have triggered a sense of uneasiness among the community of health care workers who are directly involved in field-level surveillance measures at an international airport in Shamshabad and those visiting homes of persons in home isolation.

In the last few days, there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases in almost all the neighbouring countries in South East Asia including Vietnam (16 confirmed cases), Philippines (3), Thailand (35 cases), and one each COVID positive case from Nepal and Sri Lanka. So far, in Singapore, nearly 89 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 out of which 4 persons were critical while 49 persons were discharged and 40 others were still in isolation and receiving treatment from health care workers.

“So far, we have not received a single positive case of COVID-19. However, there is every indication that COVID-19 has become pandemic, as new countries continue to report cases. It appears as if it is a matter of time before a cluster or a group of patients test positive in India,” senior health officials said.

Public health officials also acknowledged that high temperatures during this part of the year could be the saving factor.

“We are hoping that high temperatures could somehow play an important role in transmitting COVID-19. We have managed to handle swine flu cases but handling 2019-CoV cases will be very difficult,” health officials point out.

A major reason for unease among disease surveillance experts in Telangana and elsewhere are the instances of the spread of the ailment in countries that have reported COVID-19 cases but the persons who tested positive for 2019-nCOV do not have a travel history to China. Italy and Iran, both have reported a spike in COVID-19 positive cases and even fatalities.

“There are numerous questions that are still to be explained scientifically. At the moment, we have asked all our surveillance teams to be on high alert,” health officials said.

Surveillance in Hyderabad

So far, the health officials in Hyderabad have screened 12,159 travellers at Shamshabad international airport. Nearly 254 persons were still in-home quarantine for 28 days and 101 samples were taken from passengers and all of them have come negative. One passenger completed 28 days in observation at Gandhi Hospital while 2 more patients were still admitted to Gandhi Hospital.