The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has asked faculty and students to not panic following reports of a visitor to the hospital on March 12 now testing positive for COVID-19.
A communication issued by IIT-Bombay Dean, student affairs, Professor A.K. Suresh, said, “Apparently there is stuff circulating on WhatsApp about a relative of a hospital staff having been tested positive for Covid-19. I have had a detailed discussion with the Chief Medical Officer about this, so that there is no unnecessary panic.”
Professor Suresh informed the faculty and students that the person in question had himself not been abroad. “He is likely to have contracted the infection on March 12 or earlier, at the workplace, again from a secondary contact. He last visited our hospital OPD on March 17 for some non Covid-like symptoms, for a blood test and is being treated in an outside hospital since March 26, during which Covid-19 infection was suspected. BMC took his samples and a positive result on the test came in on Monday,” Professor Suresh said.
The faculty and students were informed that the person is currently doing fine without any fever, but is being kept in the hospital since it requires two negative test reports before he can be discharged.
“The IITB hospital has taken all appropriate steps according to standard protocols in tracing his contacts during his March 17 visit and asking them to be on self-quarantine just as a matter of precaution, although by that date, all protocols were firmly in place and whoever saw him in the hospital was wearing necessary protection. The patient himself was also wearing a mask. It thus appears that the matter has been handled by the hospital authorities in accordance with the available guidelines,” Professor Suresh said.
