THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Though the State is nearly rid of Covid-19, given the virus-spread expanding to more countries, the hitherto vigil maintained shall continue, said Health Minister KK Shailaja. Screening systems at airports are meticulous. A man who arrived at Nedumbassery airport from Malaysia, appeared to have symptoms of the virus. He was immediately transported to isolation ward of Kalamassery Medical College and blood sample sent for testing. The result came negative.
All other travelers from corona-hit countries had offered themselves voluntarily for observation. Over 3500 people have undergone observation for the infection so far. It is this kind of diligence that helped combat the virus up to now. Therefore, people returning from affected countries should make it a point to report to Department of Health, said the minister.
With Convid-19 spreading across 47 countries of the world, 136 people have been kept under observation. Of them, 128 remain under house monitoring and 8 in different hospitals. 34 of those placed under home surveillance were relieved today as per newly revised guidelines. Samples from 471 persons suspected of exposure were sent to NIV for tests, of which 463 have shown no presence of the virus. Presently, there is no cause for alarm in terms of health condition of those being treated in the hospitals.
With new cases of coronavirus emerging from Italy and Iran and fears of further escalation, it has been decided to subject flight passengers from Italy and Iran to Covid-screening, apart from those arriving from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Russia, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Travelers from these countries should follow guidelines strictly. People returning from Republic of Korea, Italy and Iran or those who might have traveled these countries since 10 Feb, 2020 should observe a 14-day monitoring stint in their homes. If there appears any suspicious symptom, one should get in touch with a hospital equipped with isolation ward in the district, the minister said.
