As the total number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh went up to five on Saturday, the state government on Sunday has shared details of their travel history, from the time they entered India to the time they were admitted in a hospital in Andhra Pradesh. The five positive cases have been reported from five different districts – Nellore, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and Krishna. All five patients had recently arrived from abroad. 

Note: There is no word from the government on whether other passengers on the flights, trains and buses that these patients took have been contact-traced and quarantined. Consolidated list of flights, buses and trains added in the article. If you were on any of them, please contact your state’s COVID-19 helpline. 

Patient 1

The first COVID-19 case reported in Andhra was that of a 27-year-old male in Nellore. The man had returned from Italy by Air India flight AI-138 from Milan to Delhi on March 5. On March 6, he travelled from Delhi to Chennai by flight AI-142, arriving in Chennai at 12.30 pm. He then travelled by car from Chennai to Nellore, accompanied by his father. 

Two days later, as he started to show symptoms of COVID-19, including a slight cough, he was admitted to the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Nellore, where his samples were collected on March 9, and came back positive on March 12. The patient, who has been under isolation at the Nellore GGH since then, is stable, and has stopped showing symptoms, according to the government release. 

According to Nellore district health officials, the man’s latest samples have returned negative. He will be tested yet again two weeks later before being discharged from the hospital. Additional District Medical and Health Officer Swarnalatha said that the five contacts of the patient, including his family, who have been under quarantine, have also tested negative for coronavirus. 

Patient 2

The second known case of COVID-19 in the state was announced on March 19. The patient, a 24-year-old man who had travelled to the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England, had taken British Airways flight BA-1335 from Newcastle to London on March 10. On the same day, he took Virgin Atlantic Airways flight VS-300 from London to Delhi, arriving in Delhi on March 11 at 11.20 am. 

From Delhi, he took Vistara Airways flight UK-899 to Hyderabad, arriving at 5 pm. From the Hyderabad airport, he took a taxi to his friend’s house in Yellareddyguda, where he stayed for three days till March 14. 

At 9 pm on March 14, he took an Uber taxi to a bus stop in KPHB (Kukatpally Housing Board Colony), to take a bus to Ongole. Travelling by an APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) bus, (bus number 5020), he arrived at the Ongole bus station on March 15, at 4.20 am. 

From the bus stand, he took an auto to reach his home in ZP colony. He soon developed symptoms, and on the same day (March 15), he travelled to a private hospital in his own car with a family member. He then returned and was admitted to the GGH in Ongole on the same day.

He was kept under observation, and his samples were collected and sent for testing March 17. On March 18 night, the results came back positive. 

Three family members of the patient who had come in contact with him have been kept under isolation at the hospital.

According to reports, district officials took measures to carry out surveys in the area surrounding the patient’s residence, up to a 3 kilometre radius, with 60 teams comprising ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife), ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, doctors and district officials. 

Patient 3

The third case is that of a 65-year-old man from Visakhapatnam, who had returned from Saudi Arabia. The case came to light on March 20. 

The man had taken a flight from Mecca to Hyderabad (AI-9668) on March 9. After reaching Hyderabad on the same day, he stayed at his daughter-in-law’s house in the city for two days. 

On March 11, he took a train to Vizag (Train no. 18562, Kacheguda Visakhapatnam Express) at 11.50 pm, reaching Vizag the next day at 1.30 pm. He then took an auto from the railway station to his home in Allipuram. 

On experiencing symptoms, he visited Suraksha Diagnostic Centre on March 14, accompanied by a friend. On March 17, around 11 am, he visited another private doctor in Marripalem. The doctor then referred him to the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicate Diseases, where he was admitted on the same day. 

Patient 4

The fourth and fifth cases in Andhra came to light on Saturday night. The fourth patient is a 22-year-old man from Rajahmundry who had travelled to London. 

On March 17, he travelled from London to Hyderabad via Dubai, sharing the flight from Dubai with another person who has tested positive for coronavirus at the Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad. 

After arriving in Hyderabad on March 18 at 2 am, he then took a flight to Rajahmundry, arriving at 8.15 am. He went home from the airport in an auto. The government has not released the flight numbers to the media so far. 

On March 19, the patient reported that he had had a dry cough for six days. He was then taken into observation and admitted to the GGH in Kakinada, where his sample was collected on March 20. 

Patient 5

The fifth patient is a 24-year-old man from Krishna district, who had returned from Paris. The man had travelled from Paris to Delhi on March 15. On March 16, he took an 8.40 pm flight from Delhi to Hyderabad, arriving at midnight. The government has not released the flight numbers to the media so far. 

He then took a private taxi from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, reaching the city around 6 am on March 17. 

According to Krishna district collector Imtiaz Ahmed, the man was in home isolation on March 18 and 19. 

Md Imtiaz said that the taxi had three more passengers who returned from Vijayawada to Kukatpally in Hyderabad. 

Md Imtiaz said they were gathering details of the people he met since his arrival in Vijayawada. Efforts were also being made to trace the cab driver, who brought the man from Hyderabad to Vijayawada. 

Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao has asked the three co-passengers to voluntarily come forward and inform officials. 

On March 20, the patient suffered from dry cough and fever.  He was admitted to the GGH in Vijayawada on March 20, and his tests came back positive on March 21. 

Meanwhile, Md Imtiaz said that medical checkups have been conducted in nearly 500 households in the surrounding area of the patient’s residence. Samples from the patient’s family members and those who had come in contact with him have been collected. 

A survey is being taken up in a 3-5 km radius around the patient's house,  and Md Imtiaz sought people's cooperation for rolling out a cluster containment plan.

As of Sunday morning, Andhra Pradesh had tested a total of 160 samples, of which 5 samples have tested positive and 130 have tested negative, while results are awaited for 25 samples. 

The state government has identified a total of 12,953 people who have recently returned from abroad. 10,841 people are under home quarantine, while 60 people have been admitted to a hospital. 

Officials said universal screening was on for the passengers reaching Visakhapatnam International Airport and sea ports. A total of 11,640 passengers and crew have so far been screened at these ports of entry.

IANS inputs