ONGOLE: Amid the scare the novel coronavirus has created, Prakasam health officials have established a 24-hour observation and isolation ward at RIMS, Ongole. The facility with 20 beds has been equipped with staff skilled to deal with similar situations.
Meanwhile, the authorities have identified persons who were visiting other countries, particularly COVID-19 affected ones, and recently arrived in the district. Such persons have been kept on a 28-day observation as a precautionary measure to ensure that they were not carriers of the contagious virus.
District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr K Padmavathi said nearly 20 persons returned to the district from countries such as China, Taiwan, Dubai and Italy recently. Even though they seem to be healthy and not showing symptoms of COVID-19, they were kept under medical observation, she added.
“We are more concerned about seven persons who came back from China and Taiwan, where the number of people suffering from the deadly virus is high. Our staff have met all of them and collected their details.
At present, they are all under strict medical supervision and, fortunately, no one has shown any symptoms of COVID-19 so far,” the DMHO noted.Also, the district authorities are mulling setting up more such isolation wards in major government and corporate hospitals in Ongole, Markapur, Chirala and Kandukuru.Meanwhile, the district health officials have bought 3,000 face masks for the on observation duty. A district-level COVID-19 monitoring committee was also formed.