LAHORE: The Punjab government seems reluctant to investigate and notify the Covid-19 reinfections that have seen a sudden surge recently in the province.

In a recent case, a deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Punjab Police tested positive for the virus again. He contracted the Covid-19 around a month after he was first diagnosed with the virus in the reports by a government lab. He had recovered after spending more than two weeks in self-isolation at home and resumed his duty when he tested negative.

Some days back, he again developed symptoms of the coronavirus and underwent the testing by a private lab, which confirmed that he had the Covid-19.

The DIG confirmed to this reporter that he had tested positive twice during a month or so and was isolated at home.

Similarly, retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, the son-in-law of former premier Nawaz Sharif, also recently got infection of the virus a second time.

However, the health authorities distanced themselves from this reinfection, which was yet to be investigated, a senior official said. He said two other such reinfection cases had surfaced when an area manager of a bank in DHA, Lahore and his assistant manager tested positive second time for the coronavirus.

The Punjab Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department that was supposed to investigate the officers seems reluctant to take the matter of reinfections seriously.

A spokesperson for the department told Dawn the health experts had received three such cases in the starting phase of the first wave of the virus in March and April. He said the system had, at that time, generated alerts when the CNIC numbers of the three patients were reentered in the data system showing them positive cases for the Covid-19. However, he added, the department’s medical and health experts had declared these reinfections doubtful because of certain reasons.

“We again got some details of about reinfection case of a senior police officer on Thursday. The health department would refer this reinfection to the Corona Experts Advisory Group (CEAG), which was the relevant forum of medical and health experts, to investigate it to bring facts to public,” the spokesperson claimed.

To a question, he said, it would be premature to notify any reinfection in Punjab without getting it investigated and verified from the CEAG. After the investigation, the department would share details, the spokesperson said.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020