Covid-19 virus affected techie on road to recovery: Health Minister Eatala Rajender

Hyderabad: The one and only 24-year-old patient, who tested positive for coronavirus in Telangana, is on the road to recovery and his sample test done after 10 days came out negative.

As per protocol, another test has been done within a gap of 24 hours and if it also comes negative, then he would be discharged after four days, according to Health Minister Eatala Rajender.

Also, Osmania General Hospital will be in the thick of things from next few days after the Centre gave permission to the State government to conduct coronavirus sample testing apart from the existing Gandhi Hospital.

The ICMR lab in the Osmania will start functioning after getting the required reagents to conduct tests from the Centre as well as required training given to the Osmania virology lab doctors and staff.

Elaborating details at a press meet at the command control centre set up for monitoring coronavirus situation in the State, Minister Eatala said that IPM lab in Narayanguda would be considered for sample testing only, if these two labs get an increased load with a jump in suspected or positive cases.

The Minister said that shortage of screening equipment and man power from airport health organisation of GoI was hampering universal thermal screening of passengers landing in Shamshabad airport.

"There is one standing thermal screening machine and three hand-held screening devices. We sought two more standing devices, but the Centre did not react.

Hence, Telangana government has decided to buy two devices on its own and order is already placed, and they would be delivered in two to three days.

Also, we have increased the manpower by deputing 200 staff members including doctors, nurses and supervisors to conduct screenings 24 X 7.

Everyday 5,000 passengers are landing in Shamshabad airport by international flights and thorough screening of each one of them would begin at the earliest," he said.

When asked about the recommendations given by TS team that toured Kerala to study containment measures adopted there, Eatala said that the southern State decentralised the process of treatment by setting up isolation wards at even PHC level.

"At present we have set up isolation wards in teaching hospitals and district hospitals with ICU facilities in districts. However, if cases rise, we may have to look for alternative options as well," Health Minister Rajender said.