Agra: A 40-year-old man, who returned from China two days back, has tested positive for COVID-19 following which he has been isolated at his home here, Chief Medical Officer Arun Srivastava said on Sunday (December 25). His samples will be sent to Lucknow for genome sequencing, he said. “The man has been isolated at his home and teams of the health department have been asked to conduct tests of his family members and those who came in contact with him,” Mr. Srivastava added.
The man returned to Agra from China via Delhi on December 23 following which he was tested at a private lab. The report came out positive for COVID, he added.
This the first COVID-19 positive case in the district detected after November 25, officials said.
Amid a surge in COVID cases in some countries, including China, the Centre has ramped up its anti-coronavirus measures.
The Centre had said RT-PCR test would be made mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand and asked states to conduct a mock drill on December 27 to ensure readiness of health facilities including medical oxygen generation plants.
Meanwhile, the health department in Agra began screening and collecting samples of foreign tourists at Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Akbar’s Tomb here.
Besides, samples are also being collected at the Agra airport, railway station and Inter Bus Terminal (ISBT), officials said.
Sample collection at Sarojani Naidu Medical College, District Hospital and Primary and Community Health Centres in rural Agra have been initiated with priority. Those who have symptoms of cold, cough and fever can visit the health centres to undergo COVID test, CMO added.
Mr. Srivastava added,
Residents are being asked to wear masks and maintain social distance at public places. They have been advised to use hand sanitiser and follow COVID guidelines to avoid the infection. Besides, residents are advised to get their precaution dose of COVID-19.
People can contact on the health department’s helpline numbers 0562-2600412, 9458569043 regarding any queries on the disease, officials said.
Also Read: WHO Chief Raises Concern Over China’s Rising COVID-19 Cases, Requests Data On The Virus
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diarrhoea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
