Hyderabad: Corona-infected techie cured

Hyderabad: Telangana has got good reason to cheer about as two sample tests done on the techie infected with coronavirus within a gap of 24 hours, as per WHO protocol, have come out negative.

According to Health Minister Eatala Rajender, the 24-year-old youngster would be discharged in a day or two. Health Minister reiterated that the government has increased the virus testing labs to five with the addition of Institute of Preventive Medicine, Nar­a­­ya­­n­aguda, Fever hospital and MGM, Warangal.

At present samples are being tested at Gandhi with Osmania set to start the procedures soon as trial tests were already underway on Wednesday. These steps are being done as a precautionary measure and with the consent of the Centre, he added. Further, the Minister added that they have decided to procure filters (each costing nearly Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore) that would be installed in four hospitals -- Gandhi, Fever, Chest and Osmania.

These filters would be kept in isolation rooms and labs so that filters act as a shield in not allowing the virus to pass through the air into the outside. The minister said that Rs 50 crore has been sanctioned (as part of the special fund of Rs 100 crore announced already) and this amount is being used to procure filters, thermal scanners and other equipment as part of containment measures.

Meanwhile, a decision has been taken to establish corona isolation wards and ICU rooms for admission of suspected and also positive cases in district hospitals in the erstwhile nine districts apart from the existing five isolation facilities established in Gandhi, Fever, Chest, King Koti and Vikarabad hospitals.

This would enable any suspected cases from areas like Adilabad or Nizamabad to be treated there instead of shifting them to Hyderabad, he said, pointing out that state hospitals in the erstwhile districts are equipped with isolation wards and ICU facilities already as part of treating swine flu cases.