Four more UK returnees test positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu

Four passengers who returned to Tamil Nadu from the United Kingdom have tested positive for novel coronavirus on Friday. Among the four members, one patient is from Madurai, two patients are from Thanjavur and one more patient is from Mogappair in Chennai. Till now, five UK returnees have tested positive for coronavirus in the state. 

The Indian government recently suspended flights from the UK after the country reported a variant of coronavirus that spread faster.

Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said, “The Madurai patient returned on November 29 while the two patients from Thanjavur returned on Dec 16 to Tamil Nadu via Delhi, and the Mogappair patient returned to Chennai on December 17.”

All the patients were shifted to a special isolation ward for treatment at government hospitals in the district, he said.

The Health Secretary said, “All the parameters of the patients are under control and they do not show any abnormal symptoms. We are awaiting reports from the National Institute of Virology, Pune. We have also sent samples of the remaining four passengers to NIV Pune. We are expecting the report of the first passenger in two days.” 

 The Health Secretary, also giving details on the number of people under quarantine said, among 2,390 returnees who are being closely monitored, Chennai has 1,034 returnees under quarantine followed by Chengalpattu with 226 returnees, Kancheepuram with 202 returnees, Coimbatore with 110 returnees, Trichy with 104 returnees, Madurai with 88 returnees, Thanjavur with 72 returnees, Thiruvallur with 71 returnees, Thiruvarur with 38 returnees, Nagapattinam with 39 returnees, Cuddalore with 36 returnees and Thiruneveli with 34 returnees. 

 He said they have taken samples of 1,114 people who have returned to Tamil Nadu from the UK in the 10 days before flights were halted. Currently, 782 tests are under process, the results for remaining samples including the five patients who tested positive have arrived.” 

 A total of 1,027 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, taking the total number of active coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu to 9,129. Chennai recorded 292 positive cases on Friday.