Thiruvananthapuram: As the number of COVID-19 cases spurts alarmingly across Kerala as across the country, it is widely feared community transmission of the disease has already taken place in several places.
Pointing to such a probability, Kerala recorded 211 new COVID infections on Friday, the highest single-day spike after coronavirus was noticed first in the state early this year. Worryingly, the number of COVID-19 cases with no known source of infection has been on the rise in places like Thiruvananthapuram.
In epidemiological parlance community transmission refers to the spread of infection with no clear source of its origin.
The Kerala health department has so far traced the source of infection in 106 COVID-19 cases in the state via an epidemiological study.
Even though the source of infection has been detected, there is no confirmation if the index case (source patient) was identified.
Of the 159 cases with no known source of infection, the epidemiological study was completed in 124 patients. But the source of infection is yet to be identified in 18 patients. (Until Friday, Kerala reported 2098 active COVID-19 patients, while 2,839 patients have been cured.)
Several people, with no travel history or contact with patients, had tested positive for COVID-19 in the state. The experts had also said that this alarming trend pointed at community transmission. Then Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan instructed officials to carry out the epidemiological study.
The travel details of the patients and family members were collected and their contact list was also prepared. Also, medical tests were carried out on all suspected cases to trace the source of infection among most patients.
The most number of cases with no identified source of infection was in Malappuram district, 32. Among them, the study was conducted on 20 people and the source of 17 infections was traced, according to a report by the health department.
The source of infection is yet to be traced in three people each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Palakkad and Malappuram districts. While Kollam and Thrissur have two such subjects each, it is not clear how one each in Idukki and Kozhikode got infected by the coronavirus.
