Srinagar: How difficult it is to detect the novel coronavirus can be seen from the example of the first Covid-19 patient from Anantnag district. The tests results of this patient came positive on Thursday, more than a week after he was sent home from a quarantine facility where he stayed seven days, and almost 20 days after he attended a religious gathering in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

The patient was at home, along with his family members, thinking that he had no infection because he had been in quarantine under medical observation but had showed no symptoms, when his test came positive. Now he has been kept in a Covid-19 isolation facility at District Hospital Kulgam while his all family members have been sent into quarantine. The tests of his family members are yet to be done.

Sources said that the patient had returned from Meerut, after taking part in a religious gathering there, on 20th of March, and had hidden his travel history from the authorities. Later he was traced and taken to a government quarantine facility in Kokernag area of Anantnag on 24th of March.

After showing no symptoms of Covid-19 there for seven days, he was allowed to go home on 31st of March. No tests for Covid-19 were carried out on him. The Block Medical Officer (BMO) Qazigund was asked to arrange a vehicle to take the patient, along with some others, to their home from the quarantine facility.

Since then, he was at home, with his family members and meeting others too. However, on Monday, he was again taken from his home and his samples were taken for testing. After his samples were taken, he was asked to return home as he wasn’t showing any sort of symptoms at that time too, sources said.

His tests were done after the Jammu and Kashmir government asked all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to ensure testing of every suspected patient who had history of attending any religious gathering, especially Tableegi Jamaat members.

To his utter shock, the samples turned out to be positive after three days, on Thursday, when he was normally at his home.

Dr Zahoor, BMO Qazigund, told Kashmir Reader, “The patient had undergone quarantine period of seven days. After he was found asymptomatic, he was sent back home. But his samples were taken after an advisory from the district administration, which were found to be positive.”

“The patient was at home when his test came positive,” he added.

Syed Yasir, Additional Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, told Kashmir Reader about the patient, “Already 14 days had passed since the patient’s last contact with a positive case and only a few days were left for the observation period, which he spent at the quarantine facility after he was traced. Due to asymptomatic conditions, he wasn’t tested and sent back home. At that time, we were only testing symptomatic patients. He hasn’t shown any symptoms even till today.”

Yasir added that the patient has now been kept in isolation facility at hospital and is being treated. His family members have also been sent into quarantine and they, too, will be tested very soon. “Besides, we are tracing all contacts and sending them into quarantine,” Yasir added.

KALEEM GEELANI