KOZHIKODE: The man from whom the maximum number of people were infected of Covid-19 in the state, recovered and got discharged on Wednesday after spending 25 days at District Hospital, Mananthavady. The 52-year old truck driver of Odayangady in Mananthavady tested positive on May 2, infected from Koyambedu Vegetable market in Chennai where he went with the load. Till then, Wayanad was in green zone and the spread from the driver consistently developed to a staggering 15 cases within two weeks, putting the district in red zone. Of the 15 cases, seven were the driver’s family members and the others included three police officers of Mananthavady police station.
‘Others infected not from me’
The truck driver, who requested anonymity, told TNIE that it was not through him the entire 15 cases were infected. “As I stayed with my family, seven of my family members were infected from me. But the virus spread to truck cleaner’s son, son’s friend and eventually to cops was not from me. I have not come into contact with any one of them, except the cleaner. And the cleaner never tested positive,” said the driver. But health officials maintain that the-cleaner’s son could have infected from any of the things that the cleaner used.
“I heard many allegations that I deliberately spread the virus. Some ran false propaganda that I had links with ganja team. I had been running my lorry for the last 35 years. I used to travel to and from Koyambedu with loads continuously for the past six years. This is a first of its kind experience,” the driver said.
He and the cleaner reached Koyambedu with lorry laden with ginger on April 21 night and returned to Wayanad on April 25. Now, except the driver’s wife, daughter and her two kids, all the family members have been discharged. Wayanad had other two virus routes from Koyambedu; one via a Nenmeni native and another through a Pulpally native. From the former, the virus spread to his elder brother.