Special wards ready at hospitals in the Vellore district to treat coronavirus patients

Public health department says no instances of infection so far

Director of Public Health has put all the district hospitals on high alert over the spread of the coronavirus in transit. Special wards are being readied to treat the patients in case anyone reaches them with fever and other symptoms of the virus attack.

Though three people — two from Vellore and one from Tiruvannamalai district — have returned from China recently, there has not been a case of coronavirus in the district, officials from Public Health department confirmed.

A student from Kaspa, Vellore, and a worker from Vellore returned home a fortnight ago, and have been cautioned to contact the helpline immediately in case they get symptoms of fever, cough etc.

They have been tested at the hospital and there seems to be no alarming sign, said a medical official from DPH in Vellore.

False alarm

A software engineer from Shanghai also returned to Tiruvannamalai a fortnight ago. According to doctors at the Government Hospital, he was healthy on his return but had since developed a cough and body ache.

However, he soon approached Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital for a medical check up.

Initial medical tests proved negative, and he has been kept in a special ward for observation.

If there is no deterioration, he will walk back to his home, a medical officer from the government hospital said.