With the confirmation of the result as positive of new coronavirus (nCoV) of a student arrived from China who was undergoing treatment in the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital (MCH), the health department begins an action plan to contain the disease. The examination carried out at the National Institute of Virology, Pune tested positive for a student who arrived in the district from Wuhan, in China from January 24.
A few other students who had arrived with the student and the relatives are also in the isolation ward of the MCH, said the Health Minister K K Shylaja. After a meeting of various officials at Collectorate here on Sunday, Minister Shylaja said, "A direction was given to private hospitals of the district to prepare isolation wards in the hospital to manage any crisis related to the disease. -"With the confirmation of the disease, the department made all arrangements as per the protocol of the WHO. The department had already set up isolation wards in the MCH and District Hospital. If any need will arise, isolation wards will be set up in taluk hospitals. A new ward will also be arranged in another part of the MCH," she said.
"People coming from Srilanka, Nepal and China should report with the health department. Nobody should hide their itinerary. Ones coming from nCoV affected countries should be under surveillance and they should be under the observation of 28 days, it is the incubation period of the virus. The disease can be transmitted to other people when the symptoms of the disease were not coming out in an infected person," Minister said ."The state government was under the vigil when the disease broke out in China. So, the department quarantined one person who arrived state from China and it helped to prevent the spreading of the disease. There is no need of panic, but the people should be vigilant about the situation," she added
