COVID-19: Patients identity to be kept confidential, says DC

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner (DC) Sindhu P Rupesh on Wednesday, March 11 said that the identity of suspected coronavirus patients will be kept confidential.

Speaking to reporters here at the DC office, Rupesh warned of action against those who reveal the identity of patients.

Briefing about the precautionary measures taken in the district, the DC said that there was no cause for panic in the district as no one has tested for COVID-19 so far and urged people to maintain personal hygiene.

Samples of 10 suspected coronavirus persons had been sent for tests of which 7 are negative, while results of three are awaited, she added.

The swab sample of the person who escaped from Wenlock hospital has also tested negative for Covid-19, said Rupesh.

“A total of 49 people are under quarantine in the district of which five have completed the 28-day cycle. All passengers arriving by international flights and those in contact with them should voluntarily report to the district health team and undergo self-quarantine for 14 days,” she said.

Screening facility at the MIA has been strengthened by posting doctors from seven private medical colleges on rotation basis. These doctors have been posted in addition to the medical officer at the airport.

An ambulance has been placed at the airport exclusively to shift people to the hospitals, she said.

Sindhu also briefed about the isolation wards that are set up in Wenlock, KMC, Yenepoya, AJ Hospital, Father Mullers, Srinivas Hospital, KS Hegde and Kanachur Insititute of Medical Sciences and ESI Hospitals. Control rooms too are set up in DC’s office.