Telangana: 22 family members test COVID positive at post-funeral ceremony

In Telangana's Suryapet, 22 members of a single family were tested positive for COVID-19. All those infected with the virus are said to have attended the funeral of a relative. 

The incident came to light after a person who attended the funeral tested positive, following which the healthcare officials conducted tests on all the family members. According to DMHO Harshavardhan, the reports of all turned positive.

He said that none of them showed any symptoms but all were tested positive for the novel coronavirus. And so, the post-funeral gathering in Telangana turned into be a super spreader event.

38 people who stayed back for the ceremonies of an elder member of the family in Suryapet, about 130 km from Hyderabad, underwent screening on Thursday, of which 22 were tested positive.

Since all of them were asymptomatic, they have been advised home isolation, health department official told news agency PTI.

Other protocols like contact tracing and sanitation work have been initiated, the official said adding contacts tested so far have not been infected by the coronavirus.

The elderly had died one week ago and the members of the extended family, settled at different places, gathered and stayed back in the town for the post funeral ceremonies.

Initially, one of them, suffering from tuberculosis, was advised COVID test by a doctor and he tested positive for the virus.

This prompted the members of the extended family to voluntarily undergo COVID-19 tests at a government hospital.

The official stressed on the need to take precautions like maintaining social distance and wearing masks to prevent COVID-19.

Earlier in September 2020, over 22 people from a single family were tested positive for COVID-19 in Wagholi. The family members had attended a wedding in Pimpri Chinchwad.

One of the family members was tested after some symptoms were found in him.The reports of the man came positive and then the rest of the family members were also tested for the virus.

22 of the members were found to be COVID-19 positive. The Gram Panchayat immediately shut down the shops in the area and sealed it as a containment zone.