Spike in COVID-19 cases: Are airports new clusters for virus spread?

Even as wires broke the news that Karnataka has suspended flights from five states to curb the growing COVID-19 cases, which the state later clarified as only an appeal for fewer flights, one must have wondered whether it was due to the sudden spike in infections in the state.

In its clarification, the state said that it has asked for a reduction in flights arriving from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, as Karnataka might not have the capacity to quarantine the incoming travellers. Click here to read more.

The states from where Karnataka wants fewer incoming flights are being arguably labelled as “intense states” due to their high positivity rates. Positivity rate is defined as the ratio of the number of confirmed cases to total tests conducted, expressed as a percentage.

The positivity rate of Maharashtra is the highest in India at 14 per cent, and the state has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases so far.

The current count of COVID19 patients in the state of Maharashtra is 59546. Today,newly 2598 patients have been identified as positive. Also newly 698 patients have been cured today,totally 18616 patients are cured &discharged from the hospitals. Total Active patients are 38939.

— Rajesh Tope (@rajeshtope11) May 28, 2020

Maharashtra’s Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said that the current count of COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 59,546, including fresh 2,598 ones. He said there were 698 new recoveries in the state on Thursday and that it now has 38,939 active cases.

The state has been facing flak from the civil society activists and scientists on the steps it has taken so far, be it regarding the shortage of PPEs, medical equipment and hospital beds to the distribution of homoeopathy drugs to their police force in order to build immunity. Social media has been abuzz with messages that question this last step which was allegedly taken without any scientific basis.

Dear @mybmc Please ask commissioner @IqbalSinghChah2 why health care workers who are infected are having to run from pillar to post to get 2nd test? Being sent home without a test? This is outrageous. We don’t want to know when test is not needed. Ensure TESTING when required! https://t.co/3ni36othzX

— Sucheta Dalal (@suchetadalal) May 27, 2020

In this context, Mumbai Police on Thursday issued prohibitory orders regulating social media usage and restricting dissemination of information “inciting mistrust towards government functionaries and their actions taken” towards COVID-19 response. Offenders will be punishable under Section 188 of the IPC.

This, in effect, means that those who question the actions of government officials on social media, such as the distribution of homoeopathic and ayurvedic medicines to boost immunity and advocating measures that not necessarily have been established with evidence, can be met with strict action by the government. Same goes with other issues that have been raised. The notice has been issued by the DCP, who in the context of Greater Mumbai, also plays a dual role as the Executive Magistrate.

Meanwhile, Gujarat added 367 new COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths on Thursday, taking its total tally to 15,572 cases and 960 deaths. Gujarat also has the highest fatality rate in India. The number of cases in Madhya Pradesh rose by 192 on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 7,453, of which 3,082 are active cases.

Tamil Nadu, which too has been witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases, reported 827 fresh infections on Thursday. The state has tested 4,55,216 samples for COVID-19 so far in 42 government and 28 private laboratories. Till date, 19,372 persons have tested positive and the number of suspected patients in isolation wards stands at 5,881. Twelve new fatalities were reported in the state on Thursday. With a total of 145 COVID-19 deaths so far, the state has the lowest fatality rate and has tested the maximum number of samples in India.

Related news: Number of COVID-19 cases climb to 1.58 lakh, death toll rises to 4,531

Earlier in the day, the Southern Railway’s headquarters at Chennai had to be closed after some senior officers and office staff reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. The office is expected to reopen on Monday after sanitisation. The Federal, however, was unable to get any official confirmation in this regard.

Similarly, at the Chennai International Airport, a number of deportees from Middle-East countries were reportedly found infected following their RT-PCR tests. This was in spite of the antibody tests that they had to undergo before boarding the flights, which showed that the patients had not developed any antibodies.

“This is possible,” said a doctor, requesting anonymity, who works at the city airport as part of the passenger screening task force. “We test them and send them for compulsory quarantine or isolation as the case might be. For passengers who can pay are sent to a five-star hotel at Ekkattuthangal; those with mid-range budgets are sent to hotels on OMR or lodges, and some deportees who cannot afford it are sent to temporary isolation facilities set up at an engineering college campus in Vandalur or the Air Force Station at Tambaram’,” he said.

The Chennai airport has been reporting a number of COVID-19 cases among the incoming passengers, in both domestic and international terminals.

Based on these, it needs to be examined if transportation hubs are turning out to be ‘clusters’ for the virus spread and possibly a reason why the Karnataka government has asked for a reduction in the number of flights to the state. It may be with noted that Karnataka has one of the lowest positivity rates (one per cent) in India.

Covid19: Evening Bulletin, 28th May 2020

Total Confirmed Cases: 2533
Deceased: 47
Recovered: 834
New Cases: 115

1/2 pic.twitter.com/NRGGOkW83W

— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) May 28, 2020