Panic in MP After 2 Youth Suspected to Have Coronavirus Go Missing from Hospital

Bhopal: At a time when strict measures are being put in place to fight the deadly coronavirus, two suspected patients from Madhya Pradesh, kept in isolation, have gone missing from the hospital.

Among them is a 20-year-old youth who had recently returned to Chhatarpur from China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.

An MBBS student at Wuhan University, the man had recently returned to Naugaon in Chhatarpur and was being treated at a community health centre after complaining of cough, cold and throat ache.

He was kept under observation in an isolation area but before his samples could be taken for the virus test on Sunday morning, he became untraceable, leading to panic among the hospital staff and local administration.

The physicians at the Chhatarpur district hospital said the youth hasn’t shown clear symptoms of coronavirus but was been kept under observation as per the state guidelines issued by the health department.

Another youth, who returned to Jabalpur from China three days ago and was kept under isolation as a precautionary measure, is also not traceable.

The flight taken by the Jabalpur youth to land in New Delhi from China had a flier who was later tested positive. On Sunday, an advisory was issued by the Centre to trace all other fliers and keep them under observation. However, the youth went missing on Sunday and his family, which is based in Sadar area of Jabalpur, could also not offer any information about is whereabouts.

India on Sunday reported its second coronavirus case with another student who had returned to Kerala from Wuhan testing positive, while 323 more Indians and seven Maldivians were brought back by air from the Chinese city, taking the number of evacuees to 654.

The government also announced a temporary suspension of the e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in the neighbouring country and issued a fresh advisory saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined.

The developments came as the virus, which emerged in early December and traced to a market in Hubei capital Wuhan that sold wild animals, has killed more than 300 people in China, infected over 14,000 others and spread to 25 countries.