The death of a retired professor from Kerala’s Pathanamthitta in New Delhi on March 24, has now raised concerns on whether he had COVID-19. Dr Shahid (name changed) had reached Delhi on March 7, and was one of the people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Nizamuddin which is emerging as an epicentre of COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country.
Dr Shahid had heart ailments, according to reports. Following the Jamaat meeting, he decided to stay on in Delhi, and when he died on March 24, his last rites were conducted in Nizamuddin itself because of the blocks on travelling.
However, with several people from the Jamaat meeting now testing positive for coronavirus, officials are trying to figure out if he had COVID-19. While the Pathanamthitta district officials are so far unclear on whether a swab test is even possible, they have started contact tracing to isolate people who may have met Dr Shahid – and those who attended the Jamaat meeting in general and returned to the district.
Further, the curfew in the district has been extended by 14 more days.
"We have to first trace his contacts which we expect to finish in three hours," District Medical Officer, Pathanamthitta, Sheeja AN told TNM.
As per the information available now, seven people from the district had gone to attend the religious congregation by the Talighi Jamaat in Delhi. This includes the Pathanamthitta Jamaat office bearer.
District collector PB Nooh told the media that the district administration has traced three people who had been in contact with him and has started tracing the contacts of these three people.
The Jamaat conference was attended by hundreds of Indian and foreign nationals.
As of March 30, Monday, as many as 7,486 people are under isolation in Pathanamthitta. This includes 7,467 under isolation in homes and 19 in hospitals. Three more people were admitted in hospitals on Monday.