Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, West Bengal reported it’s first confirmed case, becoming the 16th state to report a positive coronavirus infection. An 18-year-old youth, with a travel history to the United Kingdom, where almost 55 people have died after being tested positive and almost 1,950 were confirmed as positive, was tested positive for the Covid-19.
The affected youth reportedly returned from the UK on March 15 (Sunday) and didn’t go into quarantine as he was not showing any symptoms. He only got admitted at Beleghata Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday after he showed symptom. He later tested positive for Covid-19. He is one of 18 people admitted to the ID Hospital at present.
The boy is the son of a secretary-level bureaucrat, working in the home department in Nabanna the state secretariat building in West Bengal. The bureaucrat mother of the patient had been attending office at the Bengal state secretariat until Monday. The building houses the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Office, other ministries and departments.
One of his four throat swab test results at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) came positive for novel coronavirus infection.
His parents and driver have been kept in isolation, they are being checked for any symptoms. He too has been kept in a separate ward in isolation.
Sources further revealed that the youth attended a party in England where four others had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In the meanwhile, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has stated that it is wrong to say that a positive case has been reported from Kolkata since the boy had contracted the disease from the UK.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: It is wrong to say that a case of #coronavirus has been reported from Kolkata. It is the person who came from United Kingdom. I do not know how he was checked at the international airport. pic.twitter.com/BjJmjTrRyr
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2020
Health Department sources also said that currently, the state government is trying to identify others who came in contact with the youth, and added that they will also be quarantined.
The total coronavirus positive cases in India has climbed to 153, which includes 25 foreign nationals and three persons who died in Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. 12 fresh cases have been reported from various parts of the country on Wednesday itself.
The Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Cabinet Secretary are closely monitoring the situation of COVID-19, invoking powers under The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to enhance preparedness and containment of the virus. State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is now available with State Governments for responding to COVID-19, which has been declared a notified disaster. Various measures have been taken by the Central Ministries along with States/UTs in terms of strengthened community surveillance, quarantine facilities, isolation wards, adequate PPEs, trained manpower, rapid response teams for management of COVID-19.
