Bengaluru: Coronavirus infected techie's wife fled on train, tests positive
What's the story
At a time when people have been advised to take concrete steps to minimize the coronavirus impact, the wife of a Google employee, who tested positive, fled from Bengaluru and took a train to Agra from Delhi earlier this month, putting thousands of people at risk. Her husband has been on quarantine after testing positive, and the newly-wed woman is also infected.
Route
Couple got married, went for honeymoon to Italy, Greece, France
The woman married the techie in early February, and the couple flew for their honeymoon to Italy, from where they went to Greece and France. All these countries have seen a surge in coronavirus cases. On February 27, they landed in Mumbai and returned to Bengaluru. The husband tested positive for the virus on March 7, forcing Google to allow his colleagues to work-from-home.
Travel
She went to Delhi, then took train for Agra
Agra chief medical officer Dr. Mukesh Kumar Vats said the woman returned to her parents' house in Agra on March 8, allegedly on her husband's request. She took a flight from the Karnataka capital to Delhi and later boarded a train to Agra. The Aligarh Medical College labeled the woman as a highly suspected COVID-19 patient, prompting health officials to spring into action.
What happened
The woman, her family members were taken to isolation ward
When the health officials reached the woman's house, they learned she was living with eight other family members. Her relatives tried misleading the officials by saying she had left for Bengaluru. After the district magistrate's intervention, all nine family members were taken to hospital for screening. "The woman has now been shifted to the isolation ward in SN Medical College," Dr. Kumar said.
Details
Her co-passengers could have been infected
A senior doctor told TOI that the woman is the first COVID-19 patient to be admitted to SN Medical College. "Since she traveled by air, there is a high chance that passengers sitting near her in two rows back, front and side might also be infected with COVID-19," the official said. Her travel history is now being probed.
Taking precautions
The entire railway station is being sanitized
Meanwhile, Agra railway authorities, with the help from district administration, started sanitizing the railway station. "The entire Agra Cantt railway station, trains, and railway premises are being sanitized. We are coordinating with the state authorities to contain the spread of the virus and have set up an isolation ward at the railway hospital," said Ajit Singh, Chief Public relations officer of North Central zone.
Do you know?
In Punjab, seven suspected patients went missing
On a related note, seven suspected patients of COVID-19 have gone missing from Punjab's Ludhiana. These people returned from coronavirus-infected countries and were supposed to visit hospitals or undergo home quarantine. A lookout notice has been issued.
Deaths
Two people died due to coronavirus in India
On Friday, a 68-year-old woman from Delhi, who had underlying health conditions, died after being infected with the coronavirus. The woman contracted the infection from her son, who traveled to Switzerland and Italy. Before her, a 76-year-old man in Karnataka died. He tested positive for COVID-19. The Union Health Ministry said the deceased suffered from hypertension and asthma. The cases have climbed to 82.