Coronavirus: two admitted to Mumbai hospital test negative

Two of the three persons admitted to a hospital here for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus have tested negative for infection but are still under observation as a precaution, while blood test results of a third person were awaited, officials said on Saturday.

All three were admitted to a civic hospital following screening of passengers at the Mumbai international airport.

At a meeting with officials, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the decision as to when the two passengers whose test results were negative should be discharged can be taken as per the instructions of the Union Health Ministry.

A civic official said the decision on discharge would be taken after a consultation with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The third person's blood sample had been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune and report is expected on late Saturday night, officials said.

All three passengers are kept under observation at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Kasturba Hospital.

As of Friday, some 2,700 passengers had undergone thermal screening at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here since January 19 after an outbreak of a new coronavirus was reported in China's Wuhan city.

No case of coronavirus infection has been found in Maharashtra yet.

"It is still being discussed whether the two passengers (whose blood reports tested negative for the infection) should be discharged. It will be discussed with the NCDC," a state health department official said.

"We will have to ensure that public health is not affected in a city like Mumbai. The most important thing is to see that the virus does not spread here," he said.

The three persons who are under observation still have symptoms of fever and cold, officials said.

The two who tested negative for the coronavirus had travelled to China. They were admitted to the hospital on January 23.

The third person was admitted to the hospital on Friday after he returned from Hong Kong.

At the meeting of state and civic official, also attended by Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, chief minister Thackeray also instructed officials to follow the guidelines of the World Health Organisation and the Union Health Ministry, an official statement said.

The NIV at Pune should be ready in case the number of samples to be tested increased, and help of private laboratories and hospitals should be taken if needed, he said.

Coronavirus cases were first reported from Wuhan, the capital of central Chinas Hubei province and few cases have been found in other countries including South Korea, Japan, Thailand and the United States.

Common symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to the WHO.