Rajasthan: Two people test positive for Covid-19; five undergoing treatment recover

JAIPUR: While two people tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, five patients undergoing treatment in Bhilwara tested negative for the disease. One of the two who tested positive is a 21-year-old Jhunjhunu youth who arrived from the Philippines on March 18. The other is a 53-year-old woman who already was a patient and had her heart treatment done at a private hospital in Bhilwara, which is the epicentre of outbreak of Covid-19 in the state.So far 25 cases have been reported from Bhilwara, all are connected with a private hospital.
The total number of cases have surged to 56 in the state.
“Two new cases of Covid-19 have been found on Sunday, one in Bhilwara and the other is a resident of Jhunjhunu,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (health).
In Bhilwara, the 53-year-old woman is the third patient of the private hospital, who has tested positive for Covid-19. She had undergone angioplasty at the private hospital. The other two — one chronic kidney patient and stroke patient and one patient who had suffered cardiac arrest had been diagnosed with Covid-19 recently and they died on March 26. In the hospital, 18 doctors, nurses and other staff have already been tested positive for the disease so far, while three patients and their four relatives have been tested positive for the disease so far. Total 25 persons, highest from any district in the state, have reported from Bhilwara.
“She was admitted to the hospital before the first Covid-19 case was reported from the hospital. After the first case of Covid-19 was reported from the hospital, the health department launched a search of all those patients who were admitted to the hospital to find out if they are also infected with the virus. During screening of all the patients, who had undergone treatment before the Covid-19 outbreak, we have found three such patients, two of them died on Thursday and the 53-year-old has been found infected with the virus on Sunday,” said a health department officer.
Jhunjhunu reported its seventh Covid-19 case, when a 21-year-old person, who reached Jhunjhunu on March 18, was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sunday. He had gone to the Philippines and landed at Delhi airport on March 18. He reached Jhunjhunu by a taxi on the same day. Health department officials said that he remained at home quarantine till March 22. The health authorities shifted him from home to a private university for quarantine. On March 26, he complained of fever and cough. His samples were sent to Sawai Man Singh hospital Jaipur on March 27, his report issued on Sunday showed that he had been tested positive for the disease.
However, five patients undergoing treatment in Bhilwara have tested negative for the disease. “Five patients have tested negative for Covid-19,” said Dr Arun Gaur, medical superintendent, MG government hospital.
Bhilwara medical college principal and controller Dr Rajan Nanda said, “The government has provided all the facilities which we needed for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. We have sufficient number of personal protection equipment and other such items such as face masks.”
A team from Sawai Man Singh medical college was sent to Bhilwara when the first cases of Covid-19 were reported. Dr Narendra Khippal, senior professor (respiratory disease) SMS hospital, said, “We have helped the doctors in Bhilwara for preparing protocol for screening, testing and treatment of suspected Covid-19 persons and also for Covid-19 patients.”
The doctors in Bhilwara, were in touch with SMS hospital and other hospitals in different parts of the country, where the treatment of Covid-19 patients has been done successfully. They have also followed the treatment protocol for Covid-19 prepared by AIIMS, Delhi.
So far, seven patients from Bhilwara, including two in SMS hospital, have been tested negative for the disease. In the state, nine patients in SMS hospital, five in Bhilwara and two in Jodhpur have been tested negative for Covid-19 after getting the treatment. A total of 16 Covid-19 patients have tested negative for the virus, after getting the treatment in the state.