In some relief, a three-year-old child, who was under treatment for COVID-19, has tested negative for coronavirus, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday. The three-year-old is India’s first child who was tested positive for coronavirus, on March 9.
“The child has been tested negative for coronavirus, we are waiting for one more result for confirmation,” said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. The child, who had returned from Italy along with mother, a nurse in Italy, and father, is admitted at Kalamassery Medical College in Ernakulam district.
It is nine days after testing positive for coronavirus that the child has been tested negative now.
It was on March 9 that the three-year-old child was tested positive for coronavirus. The next day, the child’s parents also tested positive. The Kannur native family had returned from Italy via Dubai on March 7 and had been under isolation at Kalamassery Medical College.
So far, only two children have been tested positive for coronavirus in India. The second case is a 13-year-old teenager in Bengaluru.
Interestingly, the three-year-old child, the youngest COVID-19 patient in the country, likes Italian food and has been provided pasta while in isolation. In a press meet held after the child was tested positive, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas, in an impromptu reaction while being asked how the child was, had said that ‘the child likes Italian food and we are giving him pasta’. The impromptu reply, showing the care given to the child, was applauded by many.
Meanwhile, in a major relief, Kerala reported no new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. However, the total number of people under observation in the state jumped to 18,011 from 12,740 people within a day. This sudden hike in number comes after the state government has made quarantine measures more stringent.
As of Tuesday, a total of 24 people are under treatment for COVID-19 in the state, including the three-year-old child. The child has not been officially taken off from the list of COVID-19 patients though tested negative, as one more result is awaited.
Expert committee to be formed
Pinarayi Vijayan also told on Tuesday that an expert committee of medical experts will be formed in the state to make the government’s preventive policy more effective. The government will also start a web portal that helps the public and those under quarantine to raise their concerns directly.
“The service of medical students will be used to create awareness to the public. The help of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) will be utilised for this, and also for planning digital consultation. The service of paramedical staff in the state will also be used in the measures to combat COVID-19,” said the Chief Minister.
Stating that COVID-19 has had a large impact on the economy of the state, he said, “At the state bankers committee meeting, the government has recommended extending the loan payment period for people along with reducing interest rates. They have given positive responses in the matter. The bankers will have to help the state government much more than they had done during the Kerala floods.”