India’s first Covid patient tested positive again

Thrissur: The Thrissur girl, who was reported the first covid positive case in the country last year, was again tested positive but her condition is satisfactory.

District medical officials said the girl had no symptoms of covid but was tested positive during a routine test at the Kochi airport while she was about to board a flight to Delhi." She has no health problems and taking rest at home" the officials said.

The 29 year old girl student, who was studying in Wuhan University in China and had travelled to India, tested positive for the virus on January 30, 2020.

Following the first case reported last year, the government has announced that all persons who have come from China after January 15, will be tested for the virus as it has an incubation period of 14 days. It has also prescribed a 14-day home isolation regimen and advised that trips to China should be avoided.

The student had reached Kolkata from Wuhan, China, on the night of January 23 last year. She travelled to Kochi the next day from where she went to her hometown in Thrissur.

Getting to know about the alert the next day from the news media, she reached the nearest primary health centre at Mathilakam to inform the Health officials about her travel. As she had not shown any symptoms of flu, she was advised to remain home for 28 days and maintain personal hygiene besides wearing mask. She was also given a contact number in case she developed any fever or cough or other symptoms of flu.

On January 27, she contacted the District Surveillance Officer when she developed flu symptoms. The district team reached her house and moved her to the isolation ward at the Thrissur General Hospital.

The same day, her body fluid sample was sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. On Thursday morning, the NIV informed that the case was positive. (UNI)