HARIDWAR: Since January 26, 462 people in Uttarakhand — mainly those who have had a history of travel to China and other adjoining countries — have been kept under observation for possible coronavirus symptoms, state health officials said on Monday. Out of these, 126 people are still under observation in home isolation while 336 have completed the incubation period cycle, and are out of watch, the officials added.
Dr Amita Upreti, director general (DG) of the health department, told TOI, “Samples of 12 patients had been sent for tests, out of which 10 had come out negative while the results of the other two are awaited. A robust screening is happening across the state, and we are keeping a strict vigil on the situation. So far, we haven’t got a single positive case in Uttarakhand.”
Meanwhile Haridwar’s chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Saroj Naithani was quoted by news agency ANI on Monday saying that 53 foreign tourists had been kept under watch at hospitals in the district for displaying coronavirus-like symptoms. Of these, 14 had been admitted recently while the rest were already under observation, the CMO said.
Notably, 13 tourists from Italy, who had stayed at a hotel in Haridwar on March 4 and left for Amritsar via Rishikesh on March 5, had tested negative for Covid-19, sources in the health department said.
Dr Pankaj Singh, state nodal officer, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of the health department, also told TOI that 13 ‘rapid response teams’ had been formed in the state comprising of public health experts, physicians, microbiologists/pathologists to “ensure instant action in suspected cases.”
Meanwhile, the state government has cancelled its ‘Spring Festival’ or Vasantotsav, a much-anticipated festival comprising of flower displays and cultural events conducted annually by the horticulture department at Raj Bhawan in Dehradun which was scheduled to happen on March 14-15. This, a communique from the Raj Bhawan said, was being done in order to avoid large gatherings at one place in view of the coronavirus threat. For a similar reason, the ‘Holi milan’ (Open house) that is held every year at Raj Bhawan was also being cancelled, the communique added.
