Thane old age home COVID-19 patients stable; 15 samples sent for genome sequencing: Official

Thane, Nov 29 (PTI) The fifty five inmates of an old age home in Maharashtra's Thane district and seven others who had tested positive for coronavirus were in a "stable" condition at a civil hospital here and samples of 15 of them were sent for genome sequencing, a health official said on Monday.

Four of them were kept in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with oxygen support and they were also stable, civil surgeon Dr Kailas Pawar said.

The 55 fully vaccinated senior citizens staying of the 'Matoshree' old age home, five employees of the facility and two family members of the staff, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, had tested positive for the viral infection over the weekend following which all of them were admitted to the Thane Civil Hospital.

The district administration had declared Sorgaon village in Bhiwandi tehsil, where the facility is located, as a containment zone.

Dr Pawar said the senior citizens might have contracted the viral infection fast as they move around, eat and have various activities together at the old age home.

Out of the 62 patients admitted to the hospital, 37 are males and 25 females.

The official said 41 of these patients have co-morbid conditions.

Samples of 15 of the 62 patients have been sent for genome sequencing, he said.

All the patients were under observation and the hospital's medial team was attending to them round-the-clock, the official said, noting that most of them were senior citizens who required assistance at all times.

These patients will be kept in the hospital for at least10 days before a decision is taken on their discharge, he said.

Five other suspected patients from the old age home were also admitted to the hospital's general ward, he added.

Sorgaon village, which has a population of 1,130 with 343 houses, has been declared as a containment zone and other local residents are also being surveyed, officials earlier said.

The district administration is keeping a tab on the health of the patients and taking due steps to check further spread of the infection, they said. PTI COR GK GK