Coronavirus: Man quarantined in Indore, 664 screened in MP

A 24-year-old man, who recently returned to Madhya Pradesh from Italy, has been admitted to a government hospital in Indore for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

So far, 664 persons with a recent history of traveling to coronavirus-affected countries have been screened in Madhya Pradesh. Of them, 265 are under the home observation. However, no confirmed case has been reported in the state.

Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Praveen Jadia, said that the 24-year-old man came to Delhi from Italy on March 7 and reached Indore from there.

"He is suffering from cold and cough. Due to his suspected exposure to coronavirus infection, he has been kept under medical supervision in an isolated ward of a government hospital," he said.

The samples of his blood and swab have been sent to Bhopal's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for examination. Meanwhile, three people admitted to different hospitals in Indore have tested negative for coronavirus infection.

Indore CMHO said that these include a 34-year-old woman, who returned to India from the US and a 30-year-old man who landed here from Malaysia along with a 39-year-old man. Jadia said that in the last 40 days, the samples of total 15 people from Indore have been sent for examination to the laboratory.

Of these, 14 people tested negative, while the investigation report of one person is awaited.

Additional Director of the Health Department, Dr Veena Sinha, said in Bhopal that so far, 664 travellers with their travel history of coronavirus-affected countries have been identified in Madhya Pradesh.

"Of these, 265 persons are still under the home isolation as precautionary measure while surveillance period of 356 have been completed," she said.

The official informed that 27 samples were sent for the examination. Of these, 19 reports tested negative, while eight reports are awaited.