Mumbai: Senior citizen couple tests positive for coronavirus – Times of India

MUMBAI: An elderly couple became the first novel coronavirus patients of the city when they tested positive for the virus at Kasturba Hospital on Wednesday. The 70-year-old male and his 68-year-old wife had travelled to Dubai with the Pune couple who tested positive on Tuesday. The couple is in the quarantine facility at Kasturba and seem stable, said BMC officials.
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The other four – including another couple and a mother-daughter pair – tested negative for the virus and were discharged late on Wednesday night. Initially, BMC wanted to be “extra cautious” and keep the four for a few more days to check if they develop symptoms, but decided to let them go home and keep tabs on their health over the phone for 14 days.

The couple was among 38 people contacted after the Pune couple tested positive; so far, nine from the Dubai team are positive. Agencies reported swab samples of the positive Mumbai couple will be sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for reconfirmation. Quoting Kakani, the report said swab samples would be sent to NIV for testing “as per protocol”.
Sources said the couple don’t exhibit severe symptoms. “One of them appears to have had a cold, while the other has no symptoms,” said the source. They are being given symptomatic treatment, but officials said there are adequate medicines and infrastructure to help patients.
It is learnt three people in the couple’s home have been placed in home isolation, and their status will be followed up by BMC every day. Meanwhile, 10 new people were admitted to Kasturba Hospital facility on suspicion of being infected. “Most people came on their own or were referred by private doctors to undergo the test,” said additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani. He said BMC has been training private doctors on how to recognize and manage Covid-19 patients