CHENNAI: The first case of Coronavirus in Tamil Nadu was confirmed on Saturday with a 45-year-old man, who had recently returned from Oman, testing positive.
According to officials in the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health, the man, a resident of Kancheepuram, was working in Oman as a construction supervisor. He landed at Chennai airport on February 28. On reaching home, he developed a fever and cold.
"He saw a local doctor and was taking treatment. However, as he did not get better even after three days and started developing breathing difficulties, he was referred to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai on March 4. Doctors at Stanley sent him to the Coronavirus isolation ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in the city. He was admitted there on March 4 and samples were taken," said Dr P Sampath, Joint Director of Public Health.
The official said the samples from the patient were sent to the King Institute at Guindy for testing on March 5. But the test result was inconclusive. So, again on the same day, samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. They reached Pune on March 6.
"We got the result on March 7 confirming for COVID-19. The patient is under treatment and stable. He is a diabetic and on insulin. Samples will be taken from all eight members of his family, who are at high risk. As of now they do not have any symptoms. We also have traced 19 other contacts and have kept them under house observation," Sampath, who is also State Surveillance Officer, said. These 19 contacts include two passengers who were on his flight from Oman, the taxi driver who drove him from Kancheepuram to Chennai, the doctor who treated him at Kancheepuram and doctors and technicians at Stanley.
According to a media bulletin issued by the DPH on Saturday evening, the man will be discharged after two consecutive samples test negative. "Three other samples are under process. Till now 60 samples have been taken and 57 tested negative for COVID-19," the bulletin said.
"In Tamil Nadu, till date, 1,13,106 passengers were screened at Chennai, Tiruchy, Madurai and Coimbatore airports. Among them 1,077 passengers are under home quarantine for 28 days and three are under hospital quarantine," the bulletin said.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar in a tweet asked people not to panic.
"COVID19 positive for 45-year-old male who traveled from Oman. Due to the stringent screening process, we identified and isolated the patient for further treatment the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. The patient is stable and under hospital observation. Tamil Nadu Health services are fully functional to combat the situation. Please avoid panicking," he told people.
Two positive cases were also reported from Ladakh on Saturday. Both the patients had a travel history to Iran.
(With inputs from the online desk)