VISAKHAPATNAM: One of the two girls, who are under observation at an isolation ward for COVID-2019 (Coronvirus Disease-2019) for the last three days, has tested negative for the virus and is likely to be discharged on Wednesday or Thursday.
Nodal officer of COVID-19 at Visakhapatnam, Pardhasaradhi told TNIE on Wednesday that they received the test reports of one of the two from Hyderabad. She tested negative and her health condition was normal. She may be discharged from the isolation ward at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) by the hospital authorities.
The girl who has tested negative for the virus is a medical student studying in the Chinese city of Kunming while the other girl works in China as a house surgeon.
Pardhasaradhi said both were healthy when they arrived in the city. They developed symptoms like cough and fever subsequently. Though their symptoms subsided with drugs they did not want to take any chance and were kept in the isolation ward, he said.
The first girl, studying MBBS 1st year at Kunming city, came to the city on Feb. 13 from Kunming via Bangkok and Kolkata. She did not have any symptoms. But later reported to the hospital when she was down with diarrhoea, fever and dry cough, he said.
Pardhasaradhi said the 22-year-old house surgeon from Nanjing, arrived here on February 8. She came from Nanjing to Visakhapatnam via Bangkok and Malaysia. She also did not have any no symptoms on her arrival at Visakhapatnam. Later, she developed fever and reported at GHCCD on Tuesday. Her blood samples were sent to Hyderabad for testing and is expected on Thursday.
Meanwhile, as many as 65 persons, who recently arrived from China in the last 15 days, are under house observation. While 40 persons are under observation in the city, the other 25 persons are residents of peripheral areas of the city, Pardhasaradhi said.
He said all of them were healthy and have no problems. He said till now as many 4,500 international passengers were screened at the 24x7 desk at Visakhapatnam international airport. The desk was maintained jointly by DMHO, AAI and port trust, he said.
Pardhasaradhi said 20 young trainee engineers, who were discharged after 18 days of quarantine in military hospitals in Chawla and Manesar, arrived in the city and their condition will be monitored for next two weeks at their homes. The 20 engineers were part of 56 engineers who were airlifted from Wuhan city of China on Jan 31. All of them were discharged on Tuesday from military hospitals.