The Kerala government has stepped up vigil in the State with the first novel coronavirus case in the country reported in Thrissur district on Thursday.
The patient, a female student who returned homr from Wuhan, China via Kolkata and Kochi has been placed in an isolation ward at the General Hospital, Thrissur, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said.
“There is no immediate cause for alarm. The patient is stable. She has sought medical attention for sore throat. We are planning to shift her to the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital (MCH),” Ms. Shylaja said. An isolation ward has been kept ready at the MCH and a decision on shifting her to it will be taken after a high-level meeting at Thrissur late in the night.
“The Health Department has stepped up vigil following the outbreak in China. The new development means we have to be more careful,” she said, adding that an alert has been sounded to all district medical offices and medical college hospitals (MCHs) in the State.
Contact tracing
The department has also launched ‘contact tracing’ — the process of identifying people who may have come into contact with suspected/confirmed infection.
The Union Health Ministry has sounded an alert to Kerala on the basis of preliminary results of tests performed on samples sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Health officials here are awaiting the results of a gene sequencing for the final confirmation, Rajan Khobragade, Principal Secretary (Health), said.
Kerala has so far sent 20 samples to the NIV, Pune, of which ten tested negative. One of the remaining samples has tested positive while the rest of the results are awaited.
The Health Department has repeated its request to people returning from China to report to medical authorities via the helpline number 1056 and the District Medical Officers concerned. “The infection can spread without any outward sign of the symptoms. Several people have reported voluntarily. But many have not yet done so. They should do so immediately,” Ms. Shylaja said.
12 testing centres
The Centre has informed the State government that testing facilities will be established in 12 centres across the country, including the NIV, Alappuzha.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the people to be on guard against the infection. “There is no cause for concern at the moment. The Health Department has adopted precautionary measures,” he said.
The government has warned of stern action against persons who spread fabricated information regarding the infection on social media.
