The State Government announced on Wednesday that eight suspected cases of COVID-19 have been reported across hospitals in the State, where they are currently undergoing treatment in special isolation wards.
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In Visakhapatnam, five suspected cases were reported on Wednesday and they were admitted to the Chest Hospital. Eluru, Vijayawada and Kakinada reported one suspected case each, and all three were admitted to the respective district government hospitals, according to an official release.
All of the five suspected cases in Visakhapatnam have a travel history — three of them had visited Singapore while two had visited Bahrain in the recent past. Those in Kakinada, Vijayawada and Eluru had arrived from South Korea, Germany and Muscat respectively, officials said.
“Isolation wards have been set up in all 13 districts, and protocols for transport of samples, screening and investigation have been tightened. Waste disposal systems too have been strengthened by setting up Rapid Response Teams,” Minister for Health Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
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The State Government has also set up control rooms that will function round the clock, and individual protection kits, N-95 masks and triple-layer masks have been stocked.
So far, 65 passengers out of 281 have been kept under observation at their residences. Two persons have been admitted to hospital and their samples tested negative.
Taking stock of the situation via a video-conference, Special Chief Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) K.S. Jawahar Reddy instructed that the guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry should be strictly adhered to.
Staff Reporter in Visakhapatnam writes:
A man and his daughter who flew in from Malaysia were kept on observation by officials of the Medical and Health Department after the duo was suspected to be infected by COVID-19. Both father and daughter are running a mild fever, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) S. Tirupathi Rao said.
People coming from various places are being screened at the Visakhapatnam International Airport. At least 4,000 people were tested in the last couple of weeks at the airport after the outbreak of COVID-19 in China in December last year.
Staff Reporter in Kakinada writes: A 35-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad has been admitted to the isolation ward at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Kakinada. DMHO B. Satya Suseela told The Hindu that preliminary medical examinations yielded a negative result. However, blood samples have been sent to Pune for further investigation to rule out suspicion.
On February 22, the engineer had returned to his office in Hyderabad from South Korea, where he was on an assignment for two months. A few days ago, he visited his parents at Vadapelam near Kakinada town.