Columns

• Female factory worker held as first to be detected now ruled out as the first to have been infected
• As 1000 fall prey to coronavirus second wave within 3 days, questions raised over timeline of catastrophe

The dreaded second wave of the coronavirus hit the Lankan landscape as expected but struck with a vengeance so exacting that it took even the health experts by surprise for its rapid transmission rate. Two days after its officially acknowledged resurgence, it had affected over a thousand victims, with the authourities warning to expect more casualties.

Yet, a week after the ogre’s return, mystery still surrounds the source of the Brandix cluster, after the authourities had spent valuable days in a futile search to track down the contacts of the 39-year-old woman at the Brandix factory who was first held up as the one responsible for introducing the coronavirus to the Brandix cluster merely because she was the first to be belatedly detected. This sudden rush to brand her as the scapegoat not only led to the authorities following a red herring but confusing and obtuse statements issued over the time and place of her detection contributed to the delay that has so far prevented identification of the one who first blew the Brandix COVID bubble.

Medical experts warned that this particular cluster of the coronavirus was far more dangerous than the previous two experienced before, namely, the Welisara Naval Camp and the Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Camp where the origin of the cluster was quickly identified and isolated. Chief Epidemiologist of the Academy of Epidemic Disease Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera described the Brandix Cluster on Monday as ‘the most difficult one to be tackled in the country since the point of origin of its first infection is not yet established.’

Once it had been confirmed that the 39-year-old COVID infected female factory worker was an employee of the Brandix garment factory at Minuwangoda, Gampaha, Brandix issued a three-para statement on Sunday October 4, which stated in its first para:

‘Brandix has detected that an apparel worker in its manufacturing facility in Minuwangoda is COVID-19 positive. The rigorous protocol implemented across Brandix, and the immediate response and support received from the PHI and relevant health authorities of Sri Lanka, enabled the early detection of the patient, ensuring her timely transfer to IDH for immediate treatment and mitigation of any further spread of the virus.’

Funnily enough, in its entire statement, Brandix did not reveal the date on which the detection was first made. Neither did it reveal the place of detection.

This statement was soon followed by an updated three-para statement, issued on October 6. Brandix again makes no reference to the date of the detection. Neither does it specifically state the exact location where the detection was made but leaves it ambiguous. Its opening line merely says, ‘Following the initial identification of a COVID-19 infected employee at our manufacturing facility in Minuwangoda…’

THE OGRE RETURNS WITH A VENGENCE: COVID’s second wave strikes as fears grow whether it has entered the community or is still contained in cluster. Picture shows a person undergoing a PCR test.

This is important since the Government Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera on October 6 ruled out the woman factory worker as the origin of the Brandix cluster. In a videotaped briefing to the Daily Mirror, Dr. Samaraweera revealed the startling findings made in the course of his investigations.

He said: “When analysing the details of the factory workers, we noticed that there have been respiratory problems in some factory workers since September 20. Some even had fever. These symptoms had gradually worsened and the health authourities had also been informed.  The female factory worker, who first tested positive, had developed the symptoms on September 28 and, subsequently, she went to the Gampaha General Hospital for treatment on September 30.’

Chief epidemiologist Dr. Sasmaraweera’s revelations give rise to a host of questions.

Firstly, if there had been signs of respiratory problems among Brandix factory workers since September 20, didn’t the factory supervisors even notice it or report it? Did they all look askance at the workers sneezing and coughing, and gradually getting worse? In a countrywide COVID ridden atmosphere where people look with suspicion at anyone who lets out an impromptu sneeze or a sudden cough, didn’t it strike anyone at Brandix that it may be more than a bout of the sniffles or an allergy due to the factory fluff in the air? Were any complaints made to the superiors? Complaints that now have been made freely to the Chief epidemiologist investigating the matter?

Secondly, Dr. Samaraweera reports that some of those who were experiencing respiratory problems, also had fever.  Didn’t the rigorous Brandix protocol insist on the simple non-contact forehead thermometers now employed throughout the country even in small establishments to check the temperature of all employees and visitors entering the premises daily? If Brandix had done temperature checks on those entering the facility, what possible reason can they now proffer for the lapses?

Thirdly, Dr. Samaraweera says the symptoms shown by some of the workers gradually worsened and the heath authorities had been notified. What did they do? Did they take the necessary action of first checking on the workers for COVID or did they remain inert till one employee was tested positive at the Gampaha General Hospital?

Fourthly, Dr. Samaraweera has stated that the female factory worker who had developed symptoms on September 28 had gone to the Gampaha General Hospital on her own accord on September 30.

This was confirmed by Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva in a television interview on Thursday who also stated that she may have got it from the factory itself and that it was then realised that she may not be the first to have got it.

According to hospital sources the female factory worker had been admitted for fever on September 30. Gampaha hospital Director Dr. Saman Pathirana revealed that the patient had been admitted to the respiratory ward. On October 1 evening the doctors had thought of giving her a PCR test. What is shocking is that this had been more or less an afterthought. Dr. Pathirana said, ‘this was not because we suspected her of having COVID but we did the test purely as a random test. The following day, the 2nd, we discharged her. On 3rd evening we received the PCR report which showed she tested positive.

The hospital authorities had then brought her back to the hospital and thereafter had transferred her to the IDH in Colombo. Luckily she was at home. Had she gone to her village or disappeared into the boonies, she might be still be out there, unwittingly spreading the coronavirus to the unsuspecting all and sundry before seeking medical help or collapsing breathless before being able to do so. Thus it must be asked:

n    When a person gets herself admitted to a hospital for respiratory problems and has a fever to boot and is transferred to the respiratory unit of the hospital, doesn’t standard procedure dictate the alarm bells to ring for a possible COVID alert?

n    Why was no careful evaluation done by the doctors as to the patient’s respiratory symptoms and condition and a PCR test ordered to clear or confirm any doubts  as to whether she was COVID infected or not? Cannot doctors now even make a prima facie diagnose from a person’s symptoms? In this instance, doesn’t it seem that the doctors didn’t take the case seriously enough and ordered the test only as a random test because the Health Ministry has provided each main hospital with ten PCR kits per day with instructions for the kits to be used daily for random testing?

n    Why was the patient discharged on October 2 without awaiting the results of the PCR to decide on the matter? She was, after all, not asymptomatic patient but one who physically displayed the signs usually associated with COVID.

n    During this period, did the hospital authorities follow standard procedure, if any, and alert the relevant PHI units in the area that a possible COVID patient was warded in the hospital? Did the relevant PHI inform the female factory worker’s employer Brandix pending PCR test results? Did they visit the factory to check whether there were similar cases? Was Brandix placed on notice and, if so, what action did they take, if any, during the period September 30 to October 3? Were the Brandix managers aware that the medical room in the factory had been visited by some workers seeking treatment for coughs and colds, as revealed by the Army Commander on television on Thursday night?

n    Isn’t it the case, as Chief epidemiologist Dr. Samaraweera states, that ‘there had been respiratory problems in some factory workers since September 20 and that some even had fever’? That the factory premises had become the breeding ground for the coronavirus, for it to spread its tentacles at leisure so that when its presence was first detected at the Gampaha General hospital on Saturday night, it had already claimed over 1000  people who were merely waiting to be detected?

n    As confirmed by the Army Commander and the Health Minister that the detection was made on the 3rd at the Gampaha General Hospital, and the patient transferred from there to the IDH, what on earth made Brandix, which did not disclose the date and place of detection of the COVID infected female factory worker in both their  statements, claim in their first statement of October 4 that ‘The rigorous protocol implemented across Brandix, and the immediate response and support received from the PHI and relevant health authorities of Sri Lanka, enabled the early detection of the patient, ensuring her timely transfer to IDH for immediate treatment and mitigation of any further spread of the virus’?

n    How did the ‘rigorous protocol implemented across Brandix ‘enable the patient’s early detection’ and ‘timely transfer’, when in actual fact, the patient had been languishing on a hospital bed at the Gampaha Hospital from September 30 with respiratory problems, including fever without any action taken to give her a PCR test for 24 hours after admission with the results known only 72 hours of admission? Not only did this cause her own COVID treatment at the IDH to be delayed but also delayed ‘timely’ detection of COVID’s dreaded presence  at the Brandix factory which contributed to the massive COVID pile up.

Fifthly, following Monday’s allegation in Parliament that Brandix had brought down a team of Indians who had been allowed to bypass Government’s mandatory quarantine requirements, Brandix issued a statement denying the allegation. The company claimed that the employees brought down were Sri Lankans and not Indians. The statement which was issued on Wednesday highlighted and affirmed that the Government mandated 28-day quarantine period was adhered to by Sri Lankan employees and families brought back via chartered flights from their factory in India

Again Brandix does not mention any dates in its five-para statement. The relevant para is as follows:

‘With regards to concerns on employees returning to Sri Lanka from India through chartered flights, we can confirm as follows.  We operated three chartered flights from Visakhapatnam, India for our Sri Lankan employees working in India and their families, who returned to Sri Lanka. We confirm that they, including their families, followed the Sri Lanka Government protocol for the prevention and control of COVID-19, which includes PCR testing and a 14-day mandatory quarantine at a government regulated quarantine facility, as well as the 14-day self-quarantine process done under the supervision of the respective PHIs.’

Is that quite right? According to the repatriation flights’ manifest, a group of Brandix workers had landed at Mattale Airport on September 22 this year. Even the Army Commander has confirmed the landing on September 22. Can Brandix account for how they have followed the Government protocol and completed their mandated 28-day quarantine period by October 7 when the 28-day period from September 22 only expires on October 20?

The people face a grave and unknown future with the arrival of COVID’s second wave. Confusing, obtuse, misleading statements only serve to aggravate that fear, exacerbate the crisis and weaken the resolve to meet the bold challenges that await all.  The authorities must take the people into their confidence. Or else the rumour clusters will sprout islandwide and will have a far more damning effect than the Brandix cluster can ever wreak.

The authorities have begun blaming the public for lowering their guard.  Perhaps, they are right. Perhaps they should also deliberate upon whether the situation seems to have got out of hand because they, too, have let slip the mask.