The contact tracing of at least 10 of the pregnant women who tested positive for Covid19 has revealed their visits to the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) Anantnag.
An official who is part of the contact tracing team disclosed to the Greater Kashmir that barring two from red zones, all those whose samples returned positive yesterday had made a visit to MCCH.
“Our team is tracing all their contacts that includes the health workers and doctors in MCCH too,” he said.
The official, however, said since the samples outside red zones – buffer and green zones were taken randomly, it is too early to conclude that MCCH is the source of infection.
The figures suggest that of the 12 pregnant women who tested positive yesterday; only two were from red zones- Sombran in Nowgam, Shangus, and Telwani in Achabal area.
“The remaining are either from green (safe) zones or the villages surrounding red zones – buffer or even outside.
These include; Tooru, Imoh (buffer zones); Odusoo, main Achabal, Chatinsinghpora- located at least 3 to 5 kilometers outside red zones.
Furthermore, five other positive cases of pregnant women come nowhere close to red or buffer zones.
These include one each from Gamdoora- Kapran-Verinag, Gutligund- Kapran Vering and one each from, Breenthi, Muniward and Zadipora villages of Anantnag Tehsil.
“None among these pregnant women had any travel history either,” an official said.
He said they are trying to ascertain how they contracted the infection.
According to the protocols, all pregnant women have to be treated as Covid-19 probable and those in the thirty-fourth week of pregnancy stage need to be tested necessarily.
So far, the testing is being done mostly in red zones, but in Anantnag, the authorities have collected samples of more than 600 expecting mothers residing outside of those risk zones.
Sub-district hospital (SDH) Bijbehara has already been designated as a special facility for pregnant women from red zones.
This move had come after the samples of deceased pregnant women from the red zone – Kharpora in Larnoo Kokernag who had suffered a twin IUD death in MCH returned positive early this month.
MCCH associated hospital of GMC Anantnag is, however, the lone maternity and child care hospital in south Kashmir and in absence of lack of proper health care in peripheries, the expecting mothers from this region mostly visit this facility.
Originally, a 40 bedded its capacity was increased to 110 even though it continued to function from an old, dilapidated building located in congested Sherbagh locality of the old town.
The chances of cross-infection always remain large there as the hospital always remains overcrowded with beds at bare minimum distance.
At times, even two patients are forced to share a single bed.
“If God forbid the pregnant women have contracted an infection from this hospital then it is really alarming,” said a medic working in MCCH.
He hoped that the hospital does not turn out to be Covid-19 hot spot itself and continues to functions routinely.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anantnag Dr. Mukhar Ahmad said the contact tracing is still on.
“Since the samples of these pregnant women who have tested positive were taken randomly, we had to first isolate them and their immediate contacts that are family,” he said.
CMO said their team is now tracing other contacts as well as their hospital and doctor visits.
Medical Superintendent MCH Anantnag, Mir Ji Andrabi, did not attend to the repeated phone calls from this reporter.
Principal, GMC Anantnag Dr. Showkat Jeelani, however, ruled out the possibility of the pregnant women contracting infection in the MCCH.
“All our doctors and paramedical staff are well protected,” he said.
The principal said they ensure the patient and the attendant take all precautions before entering the hospital.
“If he or she is wearing a mask, then the infection can’t spread,” he said adding one can contract the virus only through sneezing or coughing.