Woman doctor from Canada tests coronavirus positive in Lucknow

Lucknow, March 12

A woman doctor from Canada has tested coronavirus positive in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, taking the total of such cases in the northern state to 10.

The patient, who tested positive on Wednesday night, has been admitted to an isolation ward in King George’s Medical University (KGMU).

Her blood sample reported positive at the KGMU laboratory and will now be sent for reconfirmation to the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

KGMU Medicine Department’s Prof Himanshu said on Thursday that the woman is a doctor based in Toronto, Canada. She travelled to Lucknow via London and Mumbai on March 8.

During thermal scanning at the Lucknow airport, she did not show any symptom of coronavirus on Tuesday, but later developed fever and cough and contacted the KGMU doctors.

She and her husband were admitted to the isolation ward. Her husband’s blood report is negative.

The doctors are now drawing up a list of persons who interacted with the woman between March 8 and 11. Ten of these will also be tested for the virus.

So far, 10 cases of coronavirus have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, including the woman doctor. These are seven from Agra, one each from Noida and Ghaziabad. All are admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

According to official sources, 15,903 people have been screened for coronavirus at the state’s airports whereas more than 12 lakh people have been tested at inter-state border check posts.