india

Updated: Apr 24, 2020 13:58 IST

A woman who tested positive for Covid-19 for 19 successive times in Pathnamthitta in central Kerala has finally tested negative. The 62-year-old will be discharged from the hospital after the state medical board gives its permission, said said Pathanamthitta district medical officer (DMO) Dr N Sheeja.

“She was tested negative twice. We will discharge her soon,” said the DMO. Doctors treating her heaved a sigh of relief because she was admitted to the hospital 45 days ago. She contracted the disease after she came in contact with a family who returned from Italy.

She was admitted to the hospital on March 10 after she came in contact with Italy-returned family which later turned to be super spreaders infecting eight others. Three-member family came to their home in Kerala’s Ranni on February 29 on a three-week leave and attended many functions before testing positive a week later and transmitted the disease to many others.

All others, including the 94-year-old grandfather and 88-year-old grandmother of returnees, had left the hospital two weeks back but she remained in the hospital after she testing positive repeatedly.

Late onset of the disease like in this case is another worry for overworked health officials. In north Kerala’s Kozhikode a person returned from Dubai on March 18 and turned positive at least 29 days after he was exposed to the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had prescribed a 14-day incubation period but Kerala had extended it to 28 days to make it ensure that an asymptomatic person or a concerned patient is disinfected completely. At least eight such cases were reported from the state.