JAIPUR: Samples collected from the family of the 65-year-old woman, who was found infected with Delta+ variant of Covid on June1, have tested negative for Covid at Bikaner Medical College.
Samples of two others out of the three in the family who tested positive in May, which are preserved with the health department, will be transported to National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune for genome sequencing.
A day after the report of the woman arrived revealing she had got infected from Delta+, the health department’s team conducted door-to-door surveys and created a micro containment zone in Bengla Nagar.
The government is alert on Delta+ variant, said health minister Raghu Sharma.
The Centre is also keeping an eye on Bikaner as it has reported first Delta+ case.
“In the area, we have started immediate measures such as conducting door-to-door survey, widespread testing, contact tracing as well as scaling up vaccination in the area,” said Siddharth Mahajan, secretary (health).
Chief medical health officer of Bikaner Dr O P Chahar said, “Though the case of Delta + variant is a month old, we are conducting preventive activities as a precautionary measures to rule out if there is any chain of infection of Delta + variant in the area.” Health department’s teams found 41 people with influenza like illness in the area in addition to collecting samples of 77 persons for Covid test.
The family of the woman said she had recovered on June 13.
“Our samples were collected again on Friday and we all have tested negative.
I don’t understand why now so much of health teams are around my house after one month of getting infection and recovery.
My relatives and friends are worried and asking about our well-being after seeing a lot of activity in our house and in our colony,” said one of the sons of the woman, who lives next to the house of his mother.
“First, my brother was found infected in May.
A few days later, my mother and father tested positive for the virus.
None of them required hospitalisation.
My mother had no symptoms.
When she tested positive, a nurse came to our house and gave her some medicines.
She took those medicines and she recovered on June13,” he said.
The first case in the family was detected on May16, following which samples of other family members were taken.
His 14-year-old son was found infected on May 25 followed by his father on May 30 and mother on June1.
“My father had more symptoms as he was tested positive for typhoid.
But, he is fine.
My mother and my father got vaccinated with first dose on April 10 and on May19, they took the second dose.
After11-12 days, my mother tested positive for the virus,” he said.