Authorities yet to learn how Saudi returnee tested negative

Malappuram: Health authorities suspect that a 45-year-old man in

Keezhattur

, who was sent to

home quarantine

on arrival from Saudi Arabia on March 11 after

umrah

, recovered from

Covid-19

without showing major symptoms. He visited several places in Keezhattur, attended functions and prayer meets.

On April 2, his 85-year-old father tested positive for Covid-19 and authorities suspected that he had transmitted the infection and Malappuram police had then decided to register a case against him for violating quarantine rule. The man and his family were shifted to isolation wards at Manjeri medical college on April 3.

On Tuesday, he, wife and children tested negative for Covid-19. Malappuram DMO K Sakeena said medical authorities suspect that he recovered without showing major symptoms. “We have to conduct detailed tests such as Immunoglobulin G and Immunoglobulin M blood tests to confirm that he was infected earlier. We will keep him under observation at medical college until remaining tests are done,” she said

Meanwhile, with one more person from the district testing positive on Tuesday, the total number of positive cases increased to 13. District administration said the 45-year-old woman is native of Kannamangalam near Vengara. She had recently visited Nizamuddin and Mumbai with her husband and five family members. They had left from Tirur to Thiruvananthapuram on February 14 and departed for Nizamuddin with five other families.

From Nizamuddin, they arrived in Mumbai on February 21, where they stayed for one month. The team returned from Mumbai to Karipur on March 23 in AI flight 581. The woman and her family were advised home quarantine after returning from Mumbai. Sakeena said the woman’s family were admitted to the isolation ward at Manjeri medical college.