A second case of coronavirus disease has been confirmed in Chennai. State health officials released a bulletin on Wednesday which confirmed this.
"A 20 years old passenger with travel history to Delhi who tested positive for COVID-19 is stable and under observation in RGGGH, Chennai. He will be discharged after two consecutive samples tested negative," reads the bulletin issued by the state health department.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar had also confirmed this on Twitter earlier in the day. He tweeted that the patient was currently under isolation and that his condition was stable.
#Coronaupdate: #RGGH, Chennai reports the 2nd positive case for #Covid19. The Pt hails from Delhi, is in isolation & stable is under the observation of the expert team treating #Covid19. #TNHealth @MoHFW_INDIA #Vijayabaskar
— Dr C Vijayabaskar (@Vijayabaskarofl) March 18, 2020
All those who were in contact with the patient are currently under home quarantine. Dr Jayanthi, Dean of Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, where he is admitted, told TNM, "The patient arrived in Chennai on March 12. He admitted himself at the hospital on March 17, and the result has come today (March 18). We are only treating him and don't know about his travel history or the contacts he has met. He is stable now."
Earlier in the day, the Health Minister announced that the state currently has four isolation centres - Poonamallee in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichy. According to reports, as of Tuesday, there were 40 of them in these quarantine centres.
Dr C Vijayabaskar, the Tamil Nadu Health minister told reporters on Wednesday that in addition to the state’s focus on imported cases from abroad, surveillance on people crossing state borders has also been beefed up. The Minister also reiterated that people should avoid travelling, to avoid the risk of spreading coronavirus.
On Tuesday, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital discharged Tamil Nadu’s first coronavirus patient. The 45-year-old man, who had arrived from Muscat in Oman, was admitted in hospital after his test samples were confirmed positive on March 7.
The 45-year-old man was discharged from hospital after two consecutive samples taken from him in 24 hour intervals had tested negative. The health status of his relatives and friends who are under quarantine continues to be stable, as per a daily bulletin issued by the department of health and family welfare, Tamil Nadu.
All the people who came in close contact with the patient, however, will complete their 28-day quarantine period, according to Dr Kolandasamy, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
The Tamil Nadu government had on Monday stated that it would carry out tests on all those who had travel history and displayed coronavirus symptoms - cough, fever and breathing difficulty. The announcement came after allegations that health officials in the state were refusing to test those who had travel history and mild symptoms.