Covid-19 scare: 10 Chinese nationals to undergo test again

Hyderabad: Ten Chinese nationals whose recent visit to Hyderabad created a scare of first positive coronavirus case in the State are going to be put under scanner again.

Their samples were taken in Gandhi and Fever Hospitals on February 6 and much to the relief of Health officials all of them tested negative to the deadly virus. However, they were told at that time to stay in home isolation without venturing out for two weeks.

These Chinese nationals flew down to Hyderabad between Jan 18 and 31 for official works. Majority of them, belonging to a noted Chinese cell phone manufacturer landed here to share their expertise with their Indian colleagues working in an office in Gachibowli.

IDSP (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) and DMHO staff have been in touch with these Chinese experts for the last ten days and monitoring their health condition on a daily basis.

" Nearly 8 of them are staying in isolation in Ranga Reddy. We would like to counsel them and take them to Fever or Gandhi Hospital for collecting another sample and send them for testing again," a health official said.

Since the novel coronavirus incubation period lasts upto 2 weeks during which time symptoms may appear, conducting a second sample test on the Chinese is essential to find out if they are affected or free from the infection.

It is learnt that the Hyderabad office granted them leave so as to stay in isolation and go for another sample test and take a decision on rejoining based on the result of the report.

Another two Chinese nationals are staying in Hyderabad area and the concerned Health officials would also follow suit and go for another sample test on them.

The Gandhi Hospital doctors stated that they so far tested 68 samples of suspected cases with travel history to China and all of them turned out negative. However, their details were shared with the Health officials, who have been tracking their health condition on a daily basis as all of them were advised home isolation for two weeks.

" If any of the Indian nationals (from Hyderabad and rest of Telangana) with travel history to China develops symptoms like fever, cold, cough, sore throat, breathing problems, we would tell them to come over to undergo another sample test. However, no person from Telangana was made to undergo second sample test until now," officials said.