Screening of passengers arriving on flights from Singapore, Thailand to reach Hyderabad has started at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Shamshabad, from Saturday midnight. Singapore has reported 18 confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV). Till two-days ago, the screening of passengers using thermal scanners and thermal guns was limited to passengers coming in flights from China and Hong Kong.

If anyone is detected with high temperature, they are asked about their travel history, symptoms, to know if they might have nCoV.

The screening is extended to passengers coming from two more countries after Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave directions to this effect on Saturday. Apart from the screening, officials said that they are handing out Self-Declaration forms to the passengers where travel history to China, symptoms, address and other symptoms are asked for.

“Announcements are made on-board, in airports, to contact health authorities if anyone has the travel history and symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath and cold, among others,” said a senior Health official.

Evacuated from Wuhan

There are at least five people from Telangana among those who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, in the past two-days. Telangana Health Department officials said that they received the information but did not receive any official confirmation on it yet.

Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender who held a tele-conference with officials in State Health Department on Sunday has directed them to keep Pulmonologists ready if there were to be any requirement.

Apart from the Isolation Wards at Fever Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, Government General and Chest Hospital, arrangements will be made at other government teaching hospitals across the State to admit nCoV suspects.

Officials said that they have mapped where would they draw doctors and staff if number of suspected nCoV cases were to increase.

1 more suspect

A person who has returned from China and has some symptoms was admitted in Isolation Ward of Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases (Fever Hospital), Nallakunta, on Sunday. His samples too were collected which will be sent to test for nCoV.

However, no one from the State tested positive for the virus till date. Officials are still awaiting for results of seven more samples collected from patients admitted at State government hospitals. The tests for nCoV might be initiated at Gandhi Hospital’s laboratory from Monday.

A total of 30 samples can be tested in one-cycle at the lab. And each cycle takes eight to ten-hours to know the results. Time taken to send the samples to National Institute of Virology (NIV)-Pune, will be saved after the tests are initiated at Gandhi Hospital.