A 76-year-old man from Karnataka, who has become India's first COVID-19 fatality, had spent an hour at the Care Hospital in Hyderabad's Banjara Hills earlier this week. However, as authorities at the hospital took all necessary precautions, they said that there was no reason to panic.
The man had visited Saudi Arabia on January 29 and returned to India a month later on February 29. He developed symptoms of fever and cough on March 6, following which he was admitted to a hospital in Kalaburagi in Karnataka. On March 9, he was shifted to the private hospital in Hyderabad despite the government telling the family that he was suspected to have COVID-19 and should not be moved.
"The patient came to Care Hospital in Banjara Hills. We had a special isolated ward in the Emergency Room (ER). We admitted him and shifted him there. We asked for his treatment history and called up the hospital in Karnataka and spoke to him. As he was showing the symptoms of coronavirus, we referred him to Gandhi Hospital," an official from the hospital told TNM. Gandhi hospital has been named the nodal hospital for treatment for COVID-19 in Hyderabad.
The official said that he spent less than an hour at the hospital, that too, in complete isolation. Despite the recommendation to shift him to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, the attendees of the patient booked a private ambulance and decided to take him back to Karnataka.
Care hospital official said that adequate care was taken by the medical staff, however reports suggest that one nurse has been asked to self-isolate, though she is asymptomatic, as a precautionary measure.
Speaking about the steps taken, the official said, "We had already informed the government authorities, who visited the hospital and conducted all necessary checks. The entire ER is sanitised and there is no threat."
However, before he was admitted in Care Hospitals, officials said that he was taken to two other hospitals in Hyderabad which refused to admit him and referred him to Gandhi Hospital, as he was showing the symptoms of the disease.
Srinivas Rao, Director of Public Health, Telangana, told reporters on Thursday evening that the hospitals had been identified and contact tracing was being undertaken by the state's Rapid Reaction Team (RRT). He said that further details would be shared on Friday.
Since the patient had visited Hyderabad twice, as he landed in Hyderabad on February 29, before travelling to Kalaburagi, officials have also begun tracing his entire route from when he landed in the country.