Two test positive for coronavirus in Aurangabad

AURANGABAD: Two Aurangabad residents, a 39-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman from different areas of the city, tested positive for coronavirus, district civil surgeon Sundar Kulkarni told TOI on Thursday.
Municipal commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey clarified that none of the two cases are linked to Tablighi event in Delhi.
"The 39-year-old man had travelled from Pune on March 28 with coronavirus positive report from a private lab on March 31.The person was showing symptoms of coronavirus including fever, cough, cold and shortness of breath. He was immediately admitted to the district civil hospital and his throat swab was collected and sent to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for Covid-19 analysis," Kulkarni said.
The male patient's family, including wife, children and parents are admitted to a private hospital in the city. Their swabs have been collected and sent for testing.
Talking about the woman, who tested positive for coronavirus, district civil surgeon said that the woman's husband had travelled from Delhi. "The husband and wife were being treated at a private hospital and reported to the district civil hospital on March 30. As they were showing symptoms, we collected their swabs and sent to the GMCH for Covid-19 analysis," Kulkarni said.
The swabs of the 39-year-old man, 59-year-old woman and her husband tested positive for coronavirus by the Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at GMCH. In order to confirm, the district civil hospital sent their swabs to NIV, Pune on Wednesday and the swabs of the 39-year-old and 59-year-old woman tested positive but that of her husband tested negative.
Kulkarni said that since it was the husband who had the travel history, his swab has been repeated.
The district hospital had now sent the 40 swabs of contacts of the confirmed cases for testing including swabs 13 of the high risk contacts of the woman and the positive male patient's family.
Kulkarni, an MD (anaesthesia) himself said that all three persons have been started with 14-day anti-retroviral therapy (ART) from Wednesday as soon as they tested positive by GMCH lab. Subsequently, they are being administered lopinavir and ritonavir drugs, he said.
Residential localities of affected persons sealed
Soon after the reports came in, divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar, municipal commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey, district collector Uday Choudhari, municipal officer of health Nita Padalkar, city engineer Sakharam Panzade deputy commissioners of Police Meena Makwana, Rahul Khade and Nikesh Khatmode visited the localities where the two positive patients were residing. Pandey said that the areas have been sealed meaning that entry and exit of people and vehicles into the areas have been restricted.