New coronavirus cases confirmed in Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat
A 24-year old woman, who had recently returned to Raipur from UK, has tested positive for coronavirus, making her the first such confirmed case in Chhattisgarh.
A 24-year old woman, who had recently returned to Raipur from UK, has tested positive for coronavirus, making her the first such confirmed case in Chhattisgarh.
The woman, who studies in London, had returned to Raipur via Mumbai airport on March 15.
The woman and her father have been admitted to an isolation ward of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, according to Chhattisgarh health officials.
Meanwhile, two positive cases of the coronavirus, one of them a woman, were reported in Gujarat, said officials on Thursday (March 19).
Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Chandigarh have now joined a growing list of states in India affected by the virus, with Chandigarh reporting a positive case today. While one of the infected patients is from Rajkot, the other is from Surat, they said, adding both of them had come from abroad recently.
“Two suspected coronavirus cases of Rajkot and Surat are positive. Our teams have already taken necessary steps, including quarantine of all the contacts,” the state health and family welfare department said in a tweet.
Two suspected #CoronaVirus cases of Rajkot and Surat are positive. Our teams have already taken necessary steps including quarantine of all the contacts. @CMOGuj @Nitinbhai_Patel @InfoGujarat @JayantiRavi @JpShivahare.
— GujHFWDept (@GujHFWDept) March 19, 2020
Samples of a young woman from Surat and a man from Rajkot came positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) after their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation, the officials said.
On Wednesday (March 18), the health department said these samples were sent to the NIV after local labs report came inconclusive.
“There are two suspected cases for which result in our labs is inconclusive so sample has been sent to NIV, Pune. As part of precaution, we are following all protocols for suspected cases such as contact listing and Quarantine of contacts” the department had tweeted.
#CoronaVirusUpdate There are two suspected cases for which result in our labs is inconclusive so sample has been sent to NIV, Pune. As part of pracaution, we are following all protocols for suspected cases such as contact listing and Quarantine of contacts.
— GujHFWDept (@GujHFWDept) March 18, 2020
After the results came positive, authorities in both the cities swung into action and are taking necessary steps.
“There were two suspected cases which we had sent to NIV for confirmation. One is a young woman from Surat who had returned from New York and another patient is a man from Rajkot, who had returned from Mecca. Both of them are positive for the coronavirus. They are under treatment and breathing without the help of ventilators,” said principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi.
She said district as well as police officials of Rajkot and Surat have been asked to trace all the people who came into contact with the two patients.
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In Rajkot, 17 persons who came into contact with the infected person have been put in a quarantine facility, said district health officer P P Rathod, adding screening of the area where the person lives is going on.
In Surat, authorities have stopped the entry of state transport buses of Maharashtra into the district and also halted bus services to the neighbouring state from Surat in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
Maharashtra leads in coronavirus cases with nearly 50 infections till now.
(With inputs from agencies)
