A second case of suspected novel Coronavirus has come to the fore in the State with a woman being admitted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack with symptoms of the virus.
The woman, who is pursuing medical education in Wuhan in China, had returned home along with her husband on January 19 to attend a marriage function.
She has been lodged in a separate ward of the hospital and her condition is stable, said SCB MCH Emergency Officer Dr BN Maharana on Monday.
“As she came from Wuhan city, we are giving her priority,” Dr Maharana said, adding that her swab and blood samples would be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune for tests.
Earlier, a medical student from Phulbani, who had returned from China on January 11, was admitted in the premier hospital on January 31 with complaints of cold and cough.
Medical Education and Training (DMET) Director Prof CBK Mohanty said, “A total of four swab and blood samples of five persons, including the medico from Phulbnai, have been sent to NIV, Pune and four have tested negative for nCoV. We are waiting for the test reports of the medico,” he said.
A special ward with 74 beds and an ICU has been set up at the SCB Medical College, said Mohanty.
The State Government has appealed to people who have recently returned from China, Honk Kong, Thailand and Singapore to remain in home isolation.
The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar on Monday imparted training to paramedical staff from across the State on how to collect swab and blood samples of persons with suspected nCoV, informed RMRC Director Sanghamitra Pati.
Health officials would conduct a thorough test of people returning from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore and take follow-up action without delay, an official release said.