BENGALURU: There is not a single positive case of coronavirus from the state, say doctors. But as concern over the virus continues to dominate headlines and inflamed by past scares, Bengalureans too seem to have hit the panic button. Stereotyping certain people as a virus risk, several people are rushing to doctors and insisting on tests after they have commuted in bus, or metro rail or sat in movie halls next to anyone who remotely looked like a Chinese.
On Monday morning, a 26-year-old woman along with her husband visited the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in total panic seeking tests and insisting that her samples be sent to Pune for testing for the virus. When the doctor asked if she had visited China recently, she reportedly said, “No, but I travelled from Delhi to Bengaluru three days back and I was sitting next to someone who looked like Chinese. He was coughing and I have developed runny nose since last evening and I have a four-month-old child.”
A senior doctor at the hospital said the couple were later convinced and sent back as the symptoms were not severe. They were told to come back if cold aggravated or if they had fever.
The panic is spreading so fast that the hospital has set up a separate help desk just to allay the fears of the people.
In another case, a woman took her 19-year-old to a private hospital and insisted on getting the tests done as her daughter developed common cold and fever like symptoms after watching an evening show on Sunday. The parents reportedly panicked after they heard from her that a man who ‘looked’ like Chinese was sitting next to her.
There is panic on the street, in the bus, on the Metro. A woman who had covered her face with a dupatta and was coughing, was allegedly asked by one of the staff members if she had any health issue. When the surprised woman asked why they were concerned about her health, she was told, “You look like a Chinese and you are coughing. So we just wanted to check.”
“People are panicking unnecessarily. The new coronavirus does have symptoms like any other fever or common cold. There is not a single positive case from the state and one need not worry as the authorities are taking all precautions to ensure that people returning from China are screened as soon as they come to the Kempegowda International Airport,” said Dr Nagaraja C, Director, Rajiv Gandhi ICD hospital.
The separate help desk at the hospital is seeing a rush. There are many patients who are coming in panic and have several questions about the virus. “We are ensuring that all their questions are answered and are also making sure that their history is taken and are find out the reason for their panic. All private hospitals should clear doubts of the patients and ensure that they don’t panic unnecessarily,” said a doctor.