7 patients showing Covid symptoms quarantined

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 5

Seven suspected coronavirus patients have been quarantined in Jammu and Kashmir, even as two of them had fled from a health facility before being brought back by the police. These patients have travelled to China, Thailand, Iran, Italy and South Korea before entering Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said two people — a man from RS Pura and a woman from Jammu — with a travel history to Italy and South Korea, respectively, were quarantined at Government Medical College, Jammu, after they displayed symptoms of coronavirus.

However, they managed to flee from the quarantine facility. “Both the patients have been brought back to the health facility with the help of the police,” said Dr Shafkat Khan, nodal officer Covid-19 in J&K.

Dr Khan said their samples had been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for coronavirus tests and reports were awaited.

He said five patients were quarantined in the SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura. The tests of the two had been found negative by the NIV, while reports of three patients were awaited, he said. With the increasing number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the J&K administration stepped up preparedness to identify the symptoms and combat the virus.

The administration created a new administrative reporting structure to monitor the coronavirus situation and to ensure creation of adequate quarantine, isolation and other requisite facilities.

Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said, “All incoming passengers at airports shall be checked for symptoms and if found positive will be diverted to the help desk as per the mandated protocol to address the infection.”

However, passengers said they could not find any screening of people coming from outside India happening at the Srinagar airport.

He asked the Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to have any avoidable large gatherings deferred in their respective jurisdictions as a precautionary measure against the spread of the infection.

Nearly 200 persons, mostly students, arrived in Kashmir from China with 34 evacuated from the epicentre of Covid, Wuhan. They were quarantined and samples of some of them with fever and respiratory ailments were taken.

Officials say nearly 300 Kashmiri students are stranded in coronavirus-affected Iran. Even dozens of Shiite pilgrims have returned from Iran without proper screening. The High Court on Wednesday asked the Ministry of External Affairs to evacuate the students stranded in Iran.

Jammu: “All necessary arrangements for the screening of the people having travel history of the Covid-19 affected countries have been done and both Jammu and Srinagar airports as well as Lakhanpur and Qazigund entry points are under surveillance,” said Dr Shafqat Khan, nodal officer, Health Department J&K.

Meanwhile, the demand for masks and hand sanitisers has gone up manifold in Jammu, which led to shortage of both the products. Most of the medical shops were short of hand sanitisers and masks.

Man from Italy advised isolation in Rajouri

• A man who came to Sunderbani town in Rajouri from Italy, Pankaj Sharma, to attend the cremation of his cousin, has been advised isolation from his family members/general public for 14 days under the coronavirus disease advisory.
• On the CMO's orders, a health team visited the family and checked Pankaj for any symptoms of coronavirus.
• "As no symptom of coronavirus were found, it has been decided to visit the family twice a day to monitor Pankaj. His screening will be done after directions from the higher authorities," said Dr Manzoor Hussain, BMO. OC

2 escape from health facility, cops bring them back

• Two of the seven suspected coronavirus patients fled from a health facility before being brought back by the police.
• These patients had travelled to China, Thailand, Iran, Italy and South Korea before entering Jammu and Kashmir.
•  “Both patients have been brought back to the health facility with the help of police,” said Dr Shafkat Khan, nodal officer Covid in J&K.