Even as Kerala reported its second case of coronavirus, the authorities have intensified surveillance against the disease in Kottayam.
The District Health Authority will organize a training programme for the medical doctors from the various private hospitals in Kottayam on the prevention and treatment of the virus on Tuesday. The treatment protocol for the disease has already been dispatched to these institutions.
The District medical officer Jacob Varghese has directed all hospital superintendents to convene a meeting of all doctors on duty everyday and issue necessary directions to the hospital staff. The Health Department staff will not be permitted to take leave except in cases of emergency.
A control room for providing information to the public on the disease has already been opened in the district. The control room, which will operate on a round the clock basis, can be reached at 0481- 2304110 and 9495088514.
According to the DMO, the lone medical sample that was sent for examination from Kottayam has been tested negative.
Presently, there are no patients with suspected symptoms of the virus under observation at any of the hospitals. The authorities have set up isolation wards at the Government Medical College (GMC) and the General Hospitals in Kottayam. Patients having symptoms of the disease have been directed to contact Sindhu G Nair (9447347282 ) of the General hospital or Sajith Kumar (9447239277) of the GMC.
The patients have been also requested to avoid using public transportation facilities while ambulances have been arranged for shifting them to the hospitals.
Quarantine
As many as 32 persons, who recently visited China and Hong Kong, have been have been put under home quarantine observation in their respective residences, officials said.
