The Villupuram police and health officers are on the hunt for a 30-year-old man who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.
According to the police, the man who hails from Delhi was admitted in the Government Hospital in Villupuram a couple of days ago.
“On Tuesday, 7 April, night, one of his samples tested negative for COVID-19 and hence the hospital discharged him. But today (Wednesday), another set of samples came back positive for COVID-19 and hence we are looking to trace him,” said a police officer from Villupuram.
The district police have also formed three special teams to find him. According to reports, the hospital had discharged four patients whose tests returned positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, 8 April. However, three persons were immediately traced from Villupuram and isolated in the hospital.
According to the health bulletin released by the government of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, Villupuram district has recorded 20 positive cases of the novel coronavirus, of which four were confirmed on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu has 738 cases as of Wednesday evening, of which 48 were new infections. The state has recorded a total of eight deaths so far.
On 4 April, a 51-year-old man who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in Villupuram Government Hospital passed away. He had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi and had tested positive for the infection on 31 March.
The state has so far screened over 2 lakh persons and tested 6,095 samples, of which 738 returned positive. Samples that are still being processed are 344.
A total of 1,953 individuals have been isolated in hospitals across the state as COVID-19 suspects and 21 persons have been discharged on recovery.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami also recently said that the state will soon start rapid testing for COVID-19, in which results will be available in 30 minutes from the time of testing. The state has reportedly placed orders for one lakh Rapid test kits which is expected to arrive by 9 April.
TNM has reached out to the Joint Director of Health Services, Villupuram for a comment. The story will be updated as and when he responds.
(This story has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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