Health

Third positive case of COVID-19 reported in Odisha

60-year-old man had returned from abroad on March 10, may have infected several others

 
By Priya Ranjan Sahu
Published: Friday 27 March 2020

The third positive case of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Odisha is a person who did not stay in isolation for two weeks after returning from overseas, officials said on March 27, 2020.

The infected person, a 60-year-old man, came from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar at 7 pm on March 10, along with his wife and daughter in an Indigo flight, Subroto Bagchi, the Odisha government’s chief spokesperson, said. He had come into contact with several people since then.

On March 21, after the man fell sick, he reportedly went to the OPD of Bhubaneswar-based private hospital, Kar Clinic and Hospital, and three days later, got admitted for a day in its ICU. 

“The wife and daughter of the man, and also his driver, who drove him to several places in Bhubaneswar have been put on self-quarantine,” Bagchi told in a press briefing on the morning of March 27.

The travel history of the person and those who came in contact with him after he landed in Bhubaneswar, were being tracked and traced out, Bagchi said.

He advised the passengers who came in the same flight with the man and those who came in contact with him in Bhubaneswar to put themselves in self-quarantine to fight against COVID-19.

Bagchi said the Odisha health and family welfare department would immediately issue a guideline to all private hospitals and nursing homes on how to deal with COVID-19.

The health and family welfare department has asked the Kar Clinic and Hospital to take all possible measures to isolate doctors, nurses and attendants who came in contact with the infected person. It has also advised people not to go to Kar Clinic and Hospital for outpatient and inpatient care, considering the travel history of the coronavirus-infected person.

“In spite of repeated advisories, some private healthcare facilities are not complying with COVID-19 Regulations. (The) government urges them to act responsibly and follow the regulations while treating patients with flu-like symptoms. Non-compliance shall be viewed seriously,” the department said in a tweet on the night of March 26.

It was on March 26 that the person was identified as the third case of COVID-19 in Odisha.

According to the Odisha health department website, a total of 189 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, out of which three samples have been found to be positive. At least,4,249 people with travel histories have registered themselves with the authorities. All the three affected persons are from the Bhubaneswar city area.

On March 26, Bagchi had said at least 84,000 migrants had returned to the state and that the possibility of some having been infected could not be ruled out.

The government has also announced to open a 1,000-bed hospital exclusively for COVID-19 patients in Bhubaneswar, which will be India’s biggest, considering the rapid spread of the virus.

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