Coronavirus scare: Seven more travellers with flu-like symptoms isolated at Pune's Naidu hospital

PUNE: Seven more travellers who returned from Italy and South Korea recently were quarantined at the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Naidu hospital on Monday after complains of minor illness.
The 10 travellers, who were isolated on Sunday, tested negative for the contagion on Monday.
“The newly admitted travellers complained of cough, cold, fever, sore throat and headache. Their throat swab samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing. We will get their reports on Tuesday,” a civic health official said, adding that six of them had returned from Italy, while one from South Korea.
Travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are already screened at the airport. Iran and Italy were added to this list on February 26, following instructions from the Union government.
“Maharashtra residents arriving from Iran and Italy are also being screened at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). They are tracked for 14 days to rule out the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection,” state surveillance officer Pradip Awate said.
A total of 64,098 passengers returning from China and other affected countries have been screened at CSMIA since January 18. Of them, 382 were put under 14-day surveillance and 137 were quarantined in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, among other parts of the state, after they complained of flu-like symptoms. Most of them tested negative for the infection and were discharged.
A total of 318 of the 382 other travellers, who also visited these countries but didn’t develop any symptoms, have completed the mandatory 14-day follow-up by staying quarantined in their respective homes. The remaining travellers are being followed up with regularly, a state health official said.
In Pune, 68 travellers were quarantined at the Naidu hospital over the last six weeks after they complained of minor illness. “A total of 61 travellers have tested negative for the virus and have been discharged. The reports of the seven newly admitted travellers are awaited,” a civic health official said.
Apart from Pune, Mumbai and Thane, travellers are also being monitored in Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Amaravati, Palghar, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Satara districts.
Health officials have said family, friends, colleagues and other close contacts of the travellers who returned from the affected countries should report themselves to health officials in case of developing flu-like symptoms.