Infant contracts coronavirus from nurse in Hyderabad

The nurse, who did not show Covid-19 symptoms, interacted with her neighbours as she was asymptomatic

Update: 2020-04-25 03:38 GMT
A biologist prepares a sample collected for COVID-19 testing. (AFP)

Hyderabad: A nurse from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, who tested positive for Covid-19 on April 18, transmitted the infection to a nine-month-old child. An investigation by Covid-19 special teams showed that she had come in contact with 40 nurses who may also have been affected.

The special teams have alerted the NIMS hospital management, which quarantined the nurses immediately.

According to the Covid-19 teams deployed at the containment zone in Mettuguda, the nurse, who did not show Covid-19 symptoms, interacted with several of her neighbours being asymptomatic.

She often played with a nine-month-old child of a neighbour, who also tested positive. Both of them were sent to Gandhi Hospital’s isolation ward. Around 60 households in the area were put under home quarantine and the area was declared a containment zone.

 "The nurse had come in contact with a coronavirus-positive patient. She attended to the patient and helped him while shifting wards. Doctors and other nurses who attended the patient have been identified. Since the doctors are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), they are safe. But 40 nurses have been isolated and their swabs sent for testing. All of them will be relieved from the isolation ward if they test negative thrice," a Covid-19 official at Mettuguda said.

With 13 fresh cases reported on Friday, the number of virus cases reported in Telangana rose to 983.

No death occurred on Friday and the number of people who succumbed to the virus in the state stayed 25.

The number of people who have been discharged from hospitals was 291, while the number of active cases is 663.

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