Coronavirus: Three more test positive in Pune, one in Nagpur, number of cases in Maharashtra rises to 11

There have been a total of 180 admissions of suspected Covid-19 patients at Naidu Hospital. Reports of samples of 129 persons had tested negative. While 124 had been discharged, aggressive contact tracing of the five persons, who were earlier found to be infected, led the health authorities to focus on over 40 people.

The three new Covid-19 patients from Pimpri-Chinchwad and have been admitted to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital’s isolation ward, said officials.

At a press conference with Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar, District Collector Naval Kishore Ram, Police Commissioner K Venkatesham and others on Wednesday, authorities urged local residents to remain calm and not panic over unnecessary rumours. There is no reason for alarm and efforts have been taken to prevent the spread of the infection, said Mhaisekar.

There is a need to avoid crowded places and promote best handwashing and hygiene practices, the district collector said.

No need for schools or colleges to remain shut

There is no need for schools or colleges to remain shut, said District Collector Naval Kishore Ram on Wednesday. At least three schools in the area around Dhayari Phata had announced that they will remain closed till Saturday and will review their decision to open later.

“There is no reason for panic and there are no cases of local transmission…,” the district collector stressed. Schools should provide children with vital information on handwashing and other measures to protect themselves and their families, the authorities added.

Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow, and avoiding touching one’s face, eyes, mouth and nose are some of the suggested measures.

Disaster Management Act 2005 in force

The Pune district administration has imposed the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to tackle the outbreak of Covid-19. District Collector Naval Kishore Ram, who is chairman of the district Disaster Management Authority, issued the order on Tuesday evening. He appointed district civil surgeon Dr Ashok Nandapurkar as the ‘incident commander’ and district health officer Dr Bhagwan Pawar as the ‘joint controller’ for better planning and execution of rules and regulations.

The Act has been invoked as the law helps the administration in better utilisation of available resources and manpower, not only in the various government departments but also in the private sector. The two officers will be responsible for coordinating with various other departments and providing health services at airports and other crowded places. They will also create awareness among public through various means.

The Disaster Management Act 2005 gives ample power to the district administration under sections 33 and 34 to deal with any disaster-related situation. The district authority will be given powers for requisition for any officer or any department at the district level or any local authority to take measures for prevention or mitigation of disaster, or to effectively respond to it, as may be necessary, and such officer or department shall be bound to carry out such order.

Till March 11 this year, a total of 1.38 lakh people, who travelled across 1,195 airlines, were screened at Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune international airports.

Till date, a total of 635 passengers from affected countries are from different parts of Maharashtra. From January 18 till date, a total of 349 persons were admitted at various government isolation facilities. Test reports of samples from 319 passengers have tested negative for COVID-19 and they have been subsequently discharged.

Dr Archana Patil said they have enhanced preparedness to tackle the infection and 502 beds are avaliable for such cases in hospitals across the state.

State epidemiologist Dr Pradeep Awate said so far, health officials have completed the 14-day follow-up with 370 passengers who have returned from affected countries.

First Covid-19 case reported in Nagpur

NAGPUR reported its first case of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on Wednesday. “A middle-aged patient was admitted on Wednesday. We conducted the necessary tests on him and he has been found positive for coronavirus,” Nagpur Civil Surgeon D V Paturkar told The Indian Express.

Paturkar added, “The patient had… returned from the US on March 6. He came to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College with symptoms akin to that of coronavirus. So, we conducted tests and found that he had contracted the disease. We have put him on hospital quarantine and have started treatment.”

Asked if the patient’s family members are also being checked, Paturkar said, “We are gathering information about his travel and people he had contact with after returning to India. Obviously, his family has been put on home quarantine.”

Meanwhile, two symptomatic patients were discharged from the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) after they tested negative for the disease. “But we still have two patients in GMCH, whose test results will come on Thursday. One of them is a German national, who arrived in the city with similar symptoms. She had come here to visit the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve,” said Paturkar.

He added, “So far, we have had about 44 patients under home quarantine. Only 11 of them are still under active follow-up… rest have come out of the quarantine condition after they exhausted the 14-day incubation period.”

Cops keep watch on social media to prevent ‘false information, misleading messages’

Police officials in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are keeping a close watch on social media platforms and messenger services to check the spread of rumours about the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Since the first case of positive coronavirus was reported in India, police agencies have been keeping a watch on social media platforms. The volume of posts and messages about the spread of the virus and many aspects related to it has increased, said police officials.

“A situation report of the World Health Organisation on the novel coronavirus says that the outbreak has been accompanied by what they have called an infodemic. Social media and phone messenger platforms have witnessed a sudden rise in messages about the outbreak. We are keeping a watch on several social media platforms to check that false information, rumours and misleading messages are not circulated around, particularly about Pune and surrounding areas. We have kept the option open to initiate necessary legal action if the situation calls for it,” said a police officer.

The Situation Report Number 13 of the WHO, referred to by the officer and published on February 2, states, “The Covid-19 outbreak and response has been accompanied by a massive ‘Infodemic’ — an over-abundance of information — some accurate and some not, that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Due to the high demand for timely and trustworthy information about Covid-19, WHO technical risk communication and social media teams have been working closely to track and respond to myths and rumours. WHO is making public health information and advice on Covid-19, including myth busters, available on its social media channels.”

An officer from Pimpri-Chinchwad Police said, “We are making an appeal to people to first check the veracity of messages before sending them. Information only from credible sources should be followed. Some pieces of information might be factually right but its spread might cause difficulty or harm to some people — this may include details of patients or quarantine facilities. For any query or input, official helplines set up by the government should be contacted.” (ENS)