Mumbai: Ten persons are under observation at hospitals in Mumbai, Pune and Nanded for possible exposure to novel coronavirus while there is no confirmed case of the infection in the state, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.
A 49-year-old man who returned from Wuhan on January 21 was admitted to Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday after he developed fever and cough, said Maharashtra State Disease Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awte.
Nearly 27 travellers returned from China. A total 17 patients have been sent home and the health department is in touch with them on phone.
According to Mr Tope, six of them are in Kasturba Hospital. Three patients are in a Pune hospital and one is in a Nanded hospital under round-the-clock observation. So far, a total 10 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) department.
Out of ten samples, six have tested negative for the coronavirus. The reports of the remaining four samples are awaited. Three samples have been sent for rechecking and their results, too, are awaited.
As many as 4,600 passengers have been scree-ned at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Internat-ional Airport here since January 19 after outbreak of the virus was reported first in China’s Wuhan city.
