Crew member of an Indian ship from Iraq tests positive for COVID-19

Crew member of an Indian ship from Iraq tests positive for COVID-19

The 27-year-old sailor was diagnosed after he complained of abdominal pain

15/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

A 27-year-old member of a ship’s crew that reached Chennai Port, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The ship, ‘MT Desh Abhimaan’ with an Indian flag, carrying crude oil, left from Basra, Iraq, and reached the city on May 3 and was waiting for berthing.

The crew member joined the ship at the Mumbai Port on November 11 last year, and was suffering from pain in his right upper abdomen for nearly two months now. Since he was advised further medical assistance for this pain, the crew requested Chennai Port on May 12 if the treatment can be given at the Port Hospital, officials said.

But since he needed additional treatment, he was taken to another Shipping Corporation of India empanelled hospital. Incidentally, at this hospital, he was also tested for COVID-19 and the results came back positive. He was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Manapakkam, Chennai.

Sources at Chennai Port said contact tracing was immediately done and investigations were on. “The ship has been completely disinfected and its 26 crew members have been asked to be kept in isolation inside the ship. Their health conditions are monitored daily,” an official said.

Now, Chennai Port authorities have been trying to locate the source of the infection and how the crew member acquired it.