As part of preventive measures against Coronavirus infection, the Kerala government has kept two persons who returned from China in isolation.
A person from Ernakulam and another from Thiruvananthapuram district, both of whom who recently returned from China, has been kept under isolation in Kalamassery Medical College and at a government hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Talking to the media, Minister for Health, KK Shailaja said that both of their samples have been sent to the National Institute for Virology (NIV) in Pune. “There are no major symptoms of Coronavirus, they are only isolated based on a suspicion. Samples have been sent to NIV in Pune. They will be discharged once the results come out,” minister said.
Blood serum of the suspected persons, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs have been sent for testing.
According to officials, apart from the two persons who are isolated in hospitals, six people who returned from China are under observation in their houses.
The 30-year-old businessman, who frequently travels to China, returned to Ernakulam via Bengaluru on January 21 after his last visit in China. He was admitted to Medical College in Kalamassery on Friday, after being referred by a private hospital in Kochi.
Health monitoring has been made stringent in Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) and Cochin Port, since the past few days.
Officials have also put out directions that those hailing from the regions in China where the disease outbreak has happened, have to take quarantine measures in their homes for 28 days as part of the precautions. “For the safety of others in the house, stay away from closely mingling with people and do not go to public places. These things should be specially taken care of if there are pregnant women, children or some other patients in the house,” reads the official release of Ernakulam district medical officer.
The direction also states that if such persons returning from China happens to exhibit fever, cough or breathing difficulty, they should immediately contact primary health centers, district medical office or district surveillance unit.
Directions have also been given to the public that strict hygienic practices should be followed. Use of hands with soap and water after coming back home from outside, covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing are recommended healthy practices.
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