Centre rushes team to Lakshadweep after its first Covid case

New Delhi, Jan 19 The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has rushed a multi-disciplinary team to assist the Lakshadweep administration in Covid-19 management after the Union Territory reported its first case of infection.

The case was reported on January 18. The index case is a traveller who had come to Lakshadweep from Kerala's Kochi on January 4 by a ship.

The case had reported to hospital with symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 and was tested positive.

Initially, 31 primary contacts of the index case have been traced and quarantined of which 14 have now been found to be positive and have been isolated.

About 56 contacts of positive cases detected so far have also been traced and quarantined. The UT administration has initiated disinfection procedures and intensive risk-communication activity has been operationalised.

The Central team rushed to the UT comprises of experts drawn from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry; the National Institute of Virology, Pune and the regional office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The team will assist UT administration in Covid-19 containment activities.

( With inputs from IANS )