One of the samples sent for testing in Tamil Nadu has come back as positive for SARS-CoV-2 ( Coronavirus ). The patient, a 45-year-old male from Kancheepuram district, has a history of travelling to Muscat, Oman. He has been admitted to the isolation ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, in Chennai.
Confirming this, top State health officials said he has been advised home quarantine since he landed and reported some symptoms. His samples were sent for testing and the results were received on March 7.
His family is under home quarantine now. The patient has become asymptomatic, according to Health secretary Beela Rajesh.
The man was initially treated by his family physician. As his symptoms persisted for three days, he was referred to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai. From there, he was shifted to the isolation ward of RGGGH in a 108 ambulance on the night of March 4.
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He underwent clinical examination, blood investigation, chest X-ray and CT scan. Blood, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were lifted and sent for testing to the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy. As the test result was inconclusive, the samples were subsequently sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, the official said. Now, he has recovered, and is asymptomatic and stable, authorities said.
Contacts traced
Health Department officials have traced 27 contacts of the person, who had reached Chennai on February 28 by Air India from Muscat. An official said that eight of the persons traced were high risk contacts and the remaining 19 were low risk ones.
“They are under home quarantine. As a precautionary measure, we will be taking samples from some of them on March 8,” an official said.
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Till date, a total of 1,13,106 passengers were screened in the State's airports at Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai and Coimbatore. Of them, 1,077 persons are under home quarantine for 28 days and three are under hospital quarantine, according to the Health Department bulletin.
The department’s earlier travel advisory continued — people are advised to refrain from travelling to China, Iran, South Korea, Italy and Japan, and avoid non-essential travel to other COVID-19-affected countries. Those with a travel history to these countries should remain under strict home quarantine or hospital isolation for 28 days from the date of arrival in India, the bulletin said.
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Since the global COIVD-19 epidemic broke out, so far in Tamil Nadu, a total of 56 samples have been lifted from passengers and sent for testing at King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy Chennai (52), and National Institute of Virology, Pune (4). All but one have tested negative.
