Infant Succumbs To COVID-19 But All 23 Primary Contacts Test Negative

HYDERABAD: In what could be of some relief for the kin and authorities, all 23 primary contacts of a 45-day-old baby boy from Abhangapur village in Narayanpet who succumbed to COVID-19, have tested negative for the dreaded virus. While this gives a reason to sigh in relief, the authorities are now actually breaking their heads, unable to determine how the infant contracted the virus when no one in his close family had it.

It is reported that since birth, the infant was suffering from pneumonia and also had compromised immune system. The baby boy tested positive a few days ago, triggering a wave of panic among the authorities and the family. Subsequently, the swabs were collected from the 23 primary contacts including his parents. As the results showed, all of them tested negative.

The authorities are puzzled now since the infant's parents had not ventured out of the village since the time the lockdown was imposed. It is said that the only time they went out of their village was when the infant fell sick. The parents and other family members took him to a private hospital and later to the Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad for treatment. Unfortunately, the infant succumbed to the virus on Sunday.

Despite the 23 family members testing negative, the authorities are in no mood to take chances and hence decided to conduct a quick survey in the village to scout for people with the symptoms of cough, cold and fever.

Also Read: COVID-19: Telangana Extends Home Quarantine To 28 Days: No Testing For Secondary Contacts