Coronavirus: Malaysia-returned Assam resident admitted to isolation ward

A resident of Assam's Dibrugarh, who had recently returned from Malaysia was admitted to the isolation ward of AMCH on February 8 after he exhibited symptoms of fever, dry cough, and muscle ache.

Dibrugarh (Assam):A Dibrugarh resident who recently returned from Malaysia was admitted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) here for suspected Novel Coronavirus on Saturday, authorities said.

The person from Santipara area of the town whose identity has been withheld had arrived at Dibrugarh from Malaysia on February 7. After exhibiting symptoms of fever, dry cough, fatigue and muscle ache, he was admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital on February 8.

"The person had recently returned from Malaysia. He is being kept under medical surveillance at the isolation ward of the AMCH after he displayed symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue etc. His samples are being sent for testing and the results will be known soon," an AMCH doctor said.

As per protocol, patients with suspicion of coronavirus infection are kept in isolation for 14 days under observation.

Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha said, "There is no reason to panic. The person had foreign travel history and has been admitted to the AMCH as a precautionary measure as he developed certain symptoms after returning from Malaysia. To deal with such emergencies, a 10-bedded isolation ward has been kept ready at the Assam Medical College and Hospital. The Dibrugarh airport authorities have been asked to carry out screening and health checks of the passengers. We have also directed them to check the foreign travel history of flyers. Even the railways have been asked to carry out regular health checks on passengers."

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Following the gobal coronavirus scare, Dibrugarh airport, which is India's easternmost airport had already started thermal screening of passengers arriving from other parts of the country. Passengers arriving at the domestic airport have to undergo thermal screening for coronavirus as a precautionary measure. Thermal screening takes the help of a thermal scanner which checks the body temperature of the person and show if one has symptoms of viral infections.

Airport authorities have also put up medical bays at the airport terminal to quarantine passengers who show symptoms of the virus infection while airport staff have been advised to use masks and hand sanitiser provided at the airports.

The Dibrugarh district administration has also been organising regular sensitization workshops regarding the deadly coronavirus (dubbed COVID-19) which has so far killed over 1500 people and infected more than 65,000 people worldwide, mostly in China.

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