Kolkata man takes Covid-19 cases to 10 in Bengal

A 66-year-old man, admitted to a private hospital, here, has tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of positive cases in West Bengal to 10.

According to hospital sources, the patient is in ICCU and being treated with hydroxy-chloroquine and other medicines prescribed for HIV treatment.

The man had gone to Digha, the East Midnapore district's popular tourist resort, where he felt unwell, said his family on Thursday.

Prior to Digha visit, the man had stayed for a few days at a relative's place in East Midnapore district's Egra. There he also attended a marriage ceremony in which a few of the invitees had come from abroad.

The latest Covid-19 patient, a resident of Nayabad near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, here, was admitted to the Peerless Hospital on Monday with fever, cough and respiratory problems. He was kept in the isolation ward.

On Tuesday, his swab sample was sent to the virology laboratory at the state-run SSKM Hospital, where it tested positive. A second confirmatory test also gave the same result, officials said.

While one afflicted person died on Monday, others are under treatment.

On the Egra visit, his brother-in-law said, "He came to my place on March 12, and left on March 23. In between he went to Digha. There he fell unwell, and came back. He had fever, which got worse. We sent him to Kolkata, where he was hospitalised."

Asked whether he and other family members were taking precautionary measures prescribed for those coming in close contact with Covid-19 affected, he said they were living in home isolation.

"We are living under lock and key. Neither are we allowing anyone to come to our house, nor are we going out," he said.

In Kolkata, the patient's immediate family members have also been kept in home isolation. The police have been posted outside their residence. IANS