Father, sister of Covid-19 positive patient test -ve

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.08 AM IST

Coimbatore: A day after a 25-year-old girl, who returned from Spain, tested positive for Covid-19 at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital in the city, her 62-year-old father and 30-year-old sister tested negative for the virus on Monday. Meanwhile, the public health department is in the process of tracing her contacts.

Sources in the public health department said 14 people who met the girl before she was isolated has been identified.

“The girl’s father and sister, however, have been asked to home quarantine themselves though they have no symptoms. The Ola driver who drove the girl home has been traced and told to quarantine himself. He is expected to be tested on Tuesday,” deputy director of public health Dr G Ramesh Kumar said.

“Her two friends who met her briefly before she came to GH, have also been told to quarantine themselves and are being observed by us. If they show symptoms, then we will test them,” he said. The nine health care professionals at CMCH who checked her for symptoms and collected her throat swabs are also being monitored.

“All the nine of them used the full protective kit while handling her. But just to be safe, we are monitoring them,” the deputy director said. The patient currently has no symptoms, he said. “Not even a cold or fever,” he added.

The girl had insisted on being tested, because her roommate in Spain had tested positive for the disease. Another girl in her thirties from Palakkad has been isolated at CMCH from Sunday evening and was tested for the virus on Monday. The girl has a travel history from Palakkad. The health department said 43 people who had returned to the district from abroad and 233 people who met them are being monitored.

“We are testing people who developed symptoms within five to 14 days of suspected exposure to the virus,” the official said.

Of the 21 samples tested at the testing centre at CMCH on Sunday, eight from Coimbatore turned negative, he said.

Number of people isolated as on Monday, are seven in CMCH and eight in ESIC Hospital. They have also tested 26 people and their results are awaited.