HYDERABAD: Five more people with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus from Hyderabad have been admitted to Fever Hospital here on Tuesday. The test samples of all the five people have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for confirmation.
Along with them, the boy, who came back from Wuhan and was the first suspected case of Coronavirus in the State, was re-admitted in the isolation ward due to gastrointestinal problems and was kept under 24-hour observation before being discharged on Tuesday night.
Speaking to Express, Dr K Shankar, superintendent of Fever Hospital, said, "The three persons who came to Fever Hospital on Tuesday morning had returned from China a week ago. The mother, father and daughter developed symptoms such as running nose, cold and cough and they came to the hospital voluntarily. On Tuesday night, two more people with similar symptoms were admitted in the hospital. They are all kept under observation and their swab samples have been sent to NIV, Pune. We are expecting the results in 24 hours."
Central team visits Fever Hospital and Hyderabad airport to inspect facilities
"People also need to understand that not all cases of fever, cold and cough are being considered as Coronavirus. Only those with travel history to China and its neighbouring countries in the last couple of months have the probability of contracting the infection. The incubation period of this virus is very long - 14 to 28 days, and all the suspected cases, even if discharged, are kept under observation in their respective residences. They have been asked not to go to crowded places. Our Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) teams are checking their symptoms twice every day," he said.
He added, "We were sending the samples in private cars to NIV, Pune, along with a human courier. This was taking six to eight hours. However, now we will be sending the samples via three courier services which have been recognised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare."
This step will increase the efficiency of the sample sending procedure. Meanwhile, the three-member multidisciplinary team comprising Dr Anitha Varma, epidemiologist, Prof Ajay Chauhan, respiratory medicine and Dr Shubha Garg, a microbiologist from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), visited the Fever Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to inspect steps taken should there be an outbreak of Coronavirus. The team was also accompanied by Dr Shankar and Dr Anuradha Medoju, chief, airport health organisation.
Dr Shankar said, "The team inspected the isolation ward and it’s arrangements, whether the ward is placed at a distance from other patients and wards, waste disposal methods, cleaning of wards, tracking of treatment chart and training regarding biohazard material or waste. They seem to be quite satisfied, but they have also given us various suggestions that we will follow."
Another official added that the staff would be taught the correct procedure of disinfecting vehicles, proper usage of mask, how to collect samples from suspected patients, and how to use sanitizers. Express also witnessed an impromptu training session where the team members questioned a paramedic of the Fever Hospital ambulance about how to dispose off an infected face mask.
The paramedic pointed to a regular green colour waste bin, but was quickly corrected by the experts that mask is a biohazard material and should be disposed off only in a yellow biohazard waste bin.