COVID-19: Odisha man who travelled to New Delhi, Haryana tests positive

BHUBANESWAR: One more person was tested positive for COVID 19 here on Thursday, taking the tally to three in Odisha. The 60-year-old man from the city who had recently returned from New Delhi in a flight has been admitted to the isolation ward in Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar.

Sources said the person, a resident of a posh locality here was brought to the hospital on Wednesday. His nasal and throat swab samples were sent to Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) for tests.

Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Nikunja Bihari Dhal confirmed that the man has been found to be positive for novel coronavirus. “Though he had no travel history to any foreign country, preliminary investigations revealed he had recently visited New Delhi and Haryana. His contract tracing has already commenced,” he said.

What has pressed the panic button is that the sexagenarian, a bank employee, was admitted to the ICU in Kar Clinic, a private health care facility, here, before being shifted to Capital Hospital. He had also attended his office for three days after returning from New Delhi.

“The patient had returned to Bhubaneswar from New Delhi by an Indigo flight at about 7 pm on March 10. He was admitted to Kar Clinic on March 24 and was in ICU for a day. Earlier, he had also visited the OPD of the clinic on March 21,” the sources said. Based on his contact history, the Health Department has urged people not to visit the clinic for both outpatient and inpatient care. The management of the clinic has been asked to take all possible measures to isolate its doctors, nurses and all who had attended the patient and come in the contact of the patient.