Three out of four cases of suspected Novel Coronavirus have turned out to be negative in West Bengal. The report of a fourth person kept at isolation ward in Kolkata’s Infectious Diseases Hospital at Beliaghata is still awaited.
In many states, including in West Bengal, several individuals who were either travelling with them or who have recently returned from China, have been kept under observation in isolation wards. Four persons had been admitted in the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata’s Beliaghata to be kept under observation since Sunday evening.
While the reports turning out to be negative has brought a sigh of relief, but with Kerala declaring a “state calamity” on account of the Novel Coronavirus spread, other states, especially those with international airports and movement of international passengers are especially on the alert. But how well prepared in West Bengal to handle the situation and what steps are being taken to prepare for possible cases?
The state government has decided to open isolation wards for suspected cases of Novel Coronavirus in seven major hospitals in the state apart from the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata’s Beliaghata. Five medical colleges and the School of Tropical Medicine (STM) in Kolkata and Sagore Dutta Medical College in Kamarhati have been selected for this purpose. NRS Medical College and Hospital, SSKM Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and Kolkata Medical College and Hospital have been asked to keep isolation wards ready in case the number of Novel Coronavirus patients exceeds the capacity at Beliaghata ID Hospital.
A third case of the virus was confirmed in Kerala on Monday. The day before, a second case had been confirmed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The first positive case was found on January 30. All three cases of confirmed Novel Coronavirus in India are from Kerala. There have been 425 deaths in China from Novel Coronavirus so far and over 17,000 have been affected.
As such, the state health department authorities in Bengal are constantly in touch with officials of the Union Health Ministry to coordinate and to inform them about every detail. The state government has asked the institutions selected for isolation wards, to keep a nodal officer each for taking prompt decisions. The officer will also be responsible for maintaining strict vigilance in detecting any such cases.
A committee has been formed to work out detailed plans, of which heads of various departments of the leading hospitals and health department are a part. The institutions have been asked to stock ample quantity of N-95 masks and gloves to check the spread of the virus. Samples for tests have to be sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) – the latter within the Beliaghata ID Hospital premises.
Coronavirus (CoV) is a large family of viruses which cause illnesses ranging from common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The suspects in coronavirus infection need to be kept under observation for at least 14 days as the symptoms of this virus are expressed late, experts say. In early stages, this virus is hard to detect as the early signs of this infection are quite similar to those from common viruses. The symptoms may include diarrhoea with fever, cough and common cold.
The government is also trying to reach out to people through advertisements for reporting any suspected cases to hospitals and to not neglect such symptoms especially if this has happened following recent international travels.
Comments are closed.