VISAKHAPATNAM: One of the two girls, who were kept under observation at the isolation ward of Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) here for the past three days, has tested negative for coronavirus.
District Medical and Health Officer Tirupati Rao said, “The first-year MBBS student, who tested negative, has been discharged this evening. The other girl, the house surgeon, is healthy. Reports of her blood samples sent to Hyderabad for testing will reach us tomorrow. There was nothing to fear as no positive cases have been reported in the district. All precautionary measures are being taken.”
Nodal officer, Vizag, Pardhasaradhi confirmed that the one who tested negative is a medical student studying in Kunming, while the other girl worked in Nanjing.He said both were healthy when they arrived in the city and later developed dry cough and fever. Though their symptoms steadily subsided under treatment, he said, “we didn’t want to take a risk and so kept them under observation”.
The first girl arrived from Kunming on February 13. She didn’t have any symptoms. But later she was down with diarrhoea, fever and dry cough and was sent to the isolation ward, he said.He said the house surgeon, who arrived here on February 8 via Bangkok and Malaysia, was normal on arrival. She was kept under observation when shedeveloped fever and dry cough later.
Meanwhile, 65 persons, who arrived from China in the past 15 days, are under house observation.So far, about 4,500 international passengers have been screened at the 24x7 desk at Visakhapatnam International Airport, he said, adding the condition of 20 trainee engineers, who had arrived here after quarantine on Tuesday, will be monitored.