The Kerala government has introduced a new COVID-19 terminology, “superspread”, to delay announcing a phenomenon that had already broke out at least in the coastal wards of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation: Community Transmission.
Of the 95 cases that were declared in the district on Thursday, 80 of them belong to the densely populated coastal wards like Poonthura, Puthenpally, Manikkavilakom and Ambalathara. The word 'superspread' is obviously the derivative of 'superspreader', a word that denotes an individual with a high infectivity rate.
“Superspread is not a word commonly used in COVID-19 discussions and here the Chief Minister has used it to describe a situation just before community transmission. There is no such phase in the evolution of the virus spread. If an entire place, rather than having small separate virus clusters, becomes one big cluster like it has happened in the coastal wards, it is community transmission,” a top epidemiologist in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College said, and added: “Come to think of it, 'superspread' sounds a more powerful word to describe the situation.”
However, there is a superspreader in Puthenpally ward, a fish merchant who could have transmitted the disease to 21 people, including his close family members. But the tally in Poonthura is proving too big to be traced to a single person.
In the last three days alone over 150 were declared positive in four coastal wards alone. It is said that 95 per cent of them have no connection with the Puthenpally superspreader; for six days from June 23 the man was admitted in two hospitals, virtually cut off from society. “The only link that could be made is that the others who had turned positive also had visited Kumarichantha,” an ASHA worker in Poonthura said.
But the spread in Poonthura is too rampant and widespread to worry about sources. “Now is the time to increase tests in a big way and quickly isolate positive cases in nearby hospitals,” a top Health official said.
People have been formed into five groups and tests have already been stepped up. All healthcare workers including doctors and nurses in the containment zones are in 'group one'. In 'group two' are individuals with high social exposure like local body representatives, volunteers, traders, policemen, media, auto drivers, sanitation workers and petrol bunk employees. In 'group three' are included pregnant woman, the ill, the elderly and kids below 10 years in containment zones. In group four are included guest workers in the area. In group five, people living near those who had been declared positive.
With more people turning positive, hospitalisation is turning out to be an issue. “The Medical College is out of space and our people are being taken to COVID Care centres in even faraway places like Varkala. We have received complaints about them being placed in halls with just two toilets,” said Priya Biju, Manikkavilakom ward member.
Insulating those who have not yet been infected in these thickly populated coastal wards is even more challenging. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan acknowledged the problem when he said that more than one family occupy small homes in these wards. “We are seriously thinking of shifting them to other places,” the Chief Minister said. Among those living in such cramped conditions are the most vulnerable, especially the elderly and the ill.
However, ward members Onmanorama talked to said shifting locals, at least those living in crowded conditions, from their homes would be met with stiff resistance. “They refuse to budge even when the sea threatens to swallow their houses full,” a ward member in the area said. “A relief camp like arrangement, in a school or auditorium, is not practical as there will no be adequate toilet facilities,” he added.
The immediate strategy is to contain the spread within Poonthura, Manikkavilakom, Puthenpally and Ambalathara. Commandos have been deployed to keep the community strictly indoors. Free ration is being provided to all coastal families. The Coast Guard will keep watch on any boats secretly making their way towards Tamil Nadu coast for fishing.