Karnataka state health officials are racing to track down individuals who may have come in contact with a corona positive man who traveled to Hyderabad from Bengaluru. Amidst the rush to do this, a viral message on whatsapp has claimed that the person who the Hyderabad man stayed with while in Bengaluru, had been admitted to a hospital after falling ill. This message, however, is not true.
“Confirmed news... Mail sent to all Intel employees... The coronovirus infected techie was sharing a room with Intel associate from Ecospace.. The Intel resource was taking care of him when he was sick... Now the Intel associate is sick and has gone for coronovirus test.. They have used ecospace cafeteria as well,” reads a message which has been circulating following the confirmation of a positive case of coronavirus on Monday. The affected individual had come to Bengaluru from Dubai, where he had been working with individuals from Hong Kong, and stayed a day before returning to Hyderabad.
“His roommate has not been found to have any symptoms,” stated Dr Sudhakar, a medical officer who has been conducting investigations at the apartment complex in Bengaluru’s Sarjapur area to TNM.
Doctors from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases also confirmed to TNM that the man was found to be asymptomatic, but his samples have been taken and sent for testing. Dr Nagaraj, the Director said that initially there was no plan to isolate the person, but the hospital later did so as the rules mandate isolation. Officials have also confirmed that one more man, who recently returned from Iran, has shown symptoms of having the infection and has also been isolated at the same hospital.
It all started on Monday evening when officials confirmed that a 24-year-old man from Telangana had tested positive for coronavirus disease. His recent travel history showed that he had returned to India from Dubai where he worked with individuals from Hong Kong. He flew back to India from Dubai via Bengaluru on February 20. He stayed in the city for a day, and had gone to work. The next day he travelled via bus to Hyderabad.
Following this health department authorities have been racing to track all individuals who may have potentially come in contact with the infected man. 25 individuals have been identified and notified by officials so far in Bengaluru alone. They have been asked to remain at home under self quarantine for a period of 14 days. If anyone shows symptoms during this time, they will be admitted to the hospital and undergo treatment as necessary in an isolation ward.
The apartment that the young man stayed in Bengaluru has also been placed under surveillance.
“The District surveillance Unit Bangalore Urban has received information regarding Positive COVID 19 case resided in your apartment at Flat no-X. So we are required to conduct Surveillance activities in your apartment for which your cooperation is required,” reads a letter to the Apartment Association president from the District Surveillance Officer, Bengaluru Urban.
Screening of passengers from several countries (including Hong Kong, China, Dubai, Italy, Iran, Singapore, and Thailand to name a few) is being done at the Kempegowda International Airport. Those arriving from these countries will be subject to a thermal scanner at the airport and in other manners as deemed required by health officials in the airport.
(With inputs from Soumya Chatterjee)