A man, who arrived in Karnataka's Mangaluru from Dubai on Sunday (March 8) evening, went missing from the isolation ward of a hospital with symptoms of novel coronavirus or Covid-19. A search is on for the patient, sources confirmed.
Given the global scare over the deadly coronavirus and the restrictions in place at all airports, the man was shifted to the district Wenlock hospital with a high fever and a few symptoms of the deadly virus.
The man reportedly argued with the hospital staff late in the night that he had not contracted the virus and walked out of the hospital saying he will take treatment in a private hospital, the state health department stated.
The hospital health officer called the police about a patient "escaping" from the isolation ward and a high alert has been sounded in coastal districts to locate the person who has 'escaped' from the hospital.
Currently, a surveillance team is at his home with the police. "He will be brought back and admitted to hospital," an official said.
Dakshina Kannada district health officer Sikandar Pasha had earlier said the patient will be kept under observation for a day and will be discharged after routine tests.
The district health department on Monday lodged a complaint with the Mangaluru police station and investigation is on.
Coronavirus positive cases now at 41
A 63-year-old woman from Jammu and Kashmir tested positive for Covid-19 on March 9, making her the first confirmed case in the state of J&K. The woman, who had a travel history to Iran, is undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and is stable now.
Meanwhile, a 3-year-old from Kerala also tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. The kid has travel history from Italy. With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in India has spiked to 41.
On Sunday, five people from Kerala, three with travel history to Italy, had tested positive for Covid-19. Kerala health minister stated that three of the affected persons who returned from Italy did not declare it at the airport following which they were not screened.
(With agency inputs)
