Bihar reports first suspected coronavirus case, keeps woman under observation

Bihar on Monday reported its first suspected case of
rapidly spreading novel coronavirus as it isolated a 29-year-old research
scholar, who came home from China’s Tianjin last week, health officials said.

The woman, who was reluctant to be admitted to the
Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in the state’s capital on Monday morning,
has been kept under observation for suspected Coronavirus, which has killed at
least 80 people in China and infected thousands across the globe.

Arrangements had been made to send her blood serum
sample to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for tests, said state
health officials.

The daughter of a government high school principal in
Chapra, a PhD student of neuroscience at Tianjin, had flown into Kolkata from
China on January 22 and reached home in Chapra a day after.

A couple of days later, she reported mild fever with
cold and cough. Her sister in Pune, who got to know about the woman’s
condition, alerted the ministry of health and family welfare through its
helpline number.

She was initially admitted at the Saran Sadar Hospital
on Sunday evening and subsequently referred to the PMCH on Monday morning,
officials said.

China on Monday announced an unprecedented extension
of the Lunar New Year holidays in the latest attempt to contain the spread the
of rapidly spreading coronavirus that has killed at least 80 and infected
nearly 2800 in the country.

As many as 43 cases have been reported from other
countries with the US confirming the fifth case on Sunday. The highest number
of cases, eight, have been reported from Thailand.