PATNA: The state health department in Bihar claimed on Sunday (March 8) to have screened a record number of 1.20 lakh passengers at different transit points along the Indo-Nepal border since January 15 this year after the outbreak of coronavirus.

An official statement issued on Sunday said that a total number of 1,20,955 passengers were screened at 49 transit points besides other places by the medical teams.

“The Bihar state has strengthened surveillance and control measures against the COVID-19. As on March 8, 128 passengers, who have returned from affected countries after January 15, and have been suspected and placed under home-quarantine by the state surveillance system”, said an official statement.

Bihar’s seven districts share a border with Nepal with a total 30 blocks. In all these districts, 6,364 villages are located near the Nepal border, which is open.

Besides, six Buddhists tourist spots including Vaishali, Gaya and Nalanda have been brought under high alert following the outbreak of coronavirus.

As many as 67 passengers, besides those who are under home quarantine, have already completed the 14-day long observation in Bihar.

The awareness drive on the prevention of COVID-19 infection has been launched in 6,016 schools out of a total 96,034 schools in districts.

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Coronavirus: Holidays for kindergarten classes ordered in Bengaluru (BANGALORE). The minister for primary and secondary school education S Suresh Kumar tweeted late Sunday night, “Further to the advice received from the health commissioner, holidays have been declared for KJG/UKG classes in Bengaluru North, South & Rural Districts.”

MEANWHILE IN BENGAL: : A suspected Coronavirus patient, who returned from Saudi Arabia, died in the government Medical College in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Sunday (March 8), a senior official said.

Two other suspected Conoravirus patients were admitted in the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Beliaghat here during the day. One of them, also a resident of Murshidabad, had returned from Saudi Arabia during the day and was diagnosed with fever during thermal screening at the NSCBI airport.

The ailing youth at the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital breathed his last early evening on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, a resident of Nabagram, fell sick while returning home on Saturday after flying to the NSCBI Airport here earlier in the day from Saudi Arabia, where he used to work as a cleaner.

As he was running a fever, and complained of respiratory distress, his family members took him to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Bahrampur on Sunday where the doctors admitted him at an isolation ward after a preliminary check-up.

“One of the doctors who examined him felt it is a suspected case of coronavirus. So we admitted him considering the symptoms and the fact that he has returned from abroad. But he also had uncontrolled blood sugar, which could have also caused his death,” Hospital Medical Superintendent cum Vice Principal Debdas Saha told IANS over phone.

His throat swab sample was collected and sent to National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), but he passed away before the report could arrive.

“It takes at least a day to get the report. So, there was no way we could get it today,” said the hospital official.

According to the victim’s family members, he had been staying in Saudi Arabia for the past five years. But over the past two years, his blood glucose levels had gone up. Recently, the levels increased further, following which his employers sent him home.

Arrangements were being made for the man’s last rites by following the standard protocol given by the state Health Department for coronavirus patients, said Saha.

The family members of the victim and all others who came in contact with him are likely to be quarantined as a precautionary measure and kept under observation.

AND FROM NEW DELHI: In order to spread awareness, a special COVID-19 mobile phone caller tune was launched by all telecom operators with basic infection prevention messages played when a caller dials-out, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

“In order to spread awareness about COVID-19, a special COVID-19 mobile phone caller tune was launched by all telecom operators. Over 117.2 crore subscribers of BSNL, MTNL Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea are being progressively reached out to through SMSs and Call Backs,” Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a press statement.

“As many as 52 laboratories are now operational across the country for testing the COVID-19 virus. An additional 57 laboratories have been provided with Viral Transport Media and swabs for sample collection,” the statement added.

[compiled from Media reports]

  coronavirus