PARADIP (ODISHA): A couple was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCB MCH) in Cuttack on Tuesday after one among them developed symptoms similar to novel coronavirus (COVID19) and presented before the authorities of Paradip Port seeking medical help.
Sources said the couple, part of the crew of a Singapore vessel MT Chemstar Stellar, arrived here on Sunday night. They belong to Kanpur in Utter Pradesh.
A medical team led by chief medical officer of Paradip Port Dr Prahllad Panda screened the crew members after the captain of the ship informed harbour master about the health condition of one passenger onboard suspected to have coronavirus infection.
Dr Panda said one of the crew members was suffering from fever and cough. “Though his wife did not show any symptom, we recommended both of them to report at SCB MCH for further check-up. The duo has been shifted. There has been no confirmation of coronavirus infection as yet,” he said.
While the 35-year-old man has been admitted in the isolation ward of SCB MCH, his wife has been kept in the observation ward. A team of doctors has been treating him. His blood and swab samples will be collected and sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune for tests, said an official at the SCB MCH.
Port sources said the Singapore vessel berthed at Paradip after its brief stay at ports in China on February 10, South Korea on February 15 and Singapore on February 25.
Chairman of Paradip Port Trust (PPT) Rinkesh Roy has urged people not to panic. He said the crew member of the Singapore ship has not been tested positive for coronavirus infection yet. “PPT officials have successfully evacuated the crew members of the vessel and they have been quarantined,” he added.
The PPT authorities have been monitoring the coronavirus situation and put various measures in place to prevent any possible outbreak. Thermal scanners have been installed at Gate No. 4 and an isolation ward has been made functional at PPT Hospital.
"Crew reports are being taken on a daily basis from the ship. This was the first suspect case at the port since the outbreak of the virus in China. The medical team has been put on alert and cargo operation is being allowed after the screening of crew members," Roy added.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Government has intensified surveillance at the airports at Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda after fresh cases of COVID19 at New Delhi and Telangana. Health screening of all passengers coming from foreign countries has been made mandatory.