Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:12.05.2021 

A 67-year-old woman who returned from Kumbh Mela tested positive for Covid in the first week of April and ended up infecting 33 persons, including 13 psychiatric patients at Spandana Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre, near Nandini Layout, in west Bengaluru.

The Mahalakshmi Layout resident’s 40-year-old daughter-in-law, a psychiatrist with Spandana, had no symptoms and was treating 13 patients. A couple of days after her mother-in-law tested positive, the doctor got herself tested only to find she, too, was Covid positive.

The hospital tested all her contacts, and 13 patients and two staffers were found positive. BBMP officers from Nandini Layout came rushing to the hospital for inspection as it was a cluster case. In all, 18 family members of the Kumbh returnee were found to be infected.

Patients didn’t have severe symptoms, recovered now

The woman was admitted to a private hospital. She has since recovered as she had moderate infection.

A BBMP medical officer from Nandini Layout primary health centre said the index case was the psychiatrist. “None of the infected had severe symptoms and they were treated in their facility itself. As we traced further, we found the source was a Kumbh returnee from the psychiatrist’s family,” the doctor told TOI.

Dr Mahesh R Gowda, who heads Spandana, said with three employees and 13 patients testing positive, they had to close a floor and become more of a Covid hospital. The hospital now has 31 patients from outside.

All the patients of Spandana have recovered and they did not end up spreading the virus as they were isolated well in time. “However, we don’t know if the 18 family members further spread the virus to others,” said Dr Gowda.

The psychiatrist was asymptomatic and developed symptoms of Covid later, requiring hospitalisation. “Our colleague stopped coming to the hospital after her mother-in-law tested positive,” Dr Gowda said.

There are no details on how many from the state attended Kumbh and if they took a test on their return. Experts had advised the government to track the Kumbh returnees .