india

Updated: Mar 18, 2020 22:47 IST

A couple and their three-year-old daughter who returned from Italy 10 days ago tested positive for coronavirus, or Covid-19, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said late on Wednesday evening.

The minister said a decision had been taken to impose curfew in the one-kilometre radius to prevent the infection from spreading. People who live in this area have been told not to come out of their houses, he said. The three cases were reported in Jhunjhunu, about 140 km north of state capital Jaipur.

A state government official said the man, 33, his wife, 30, and their three-year-old daughter are being treated by a team of doctors.

Dr SK Kaler, Principal Medical Officer of Jhunjhunu district, told HT that the family had returned from Italy on March 8 and had been placed under observation.

“They showed symptoms of the virus and were admitted in the government hospital in Jhunjhunu on Tuesday. Their samples were taken on Tuesday and sent to SMS hospital in Jaipur for testing,” Dr Kaler said.

He described their condition of the three patients as stable.

That the family had been at home after their return sparked concerns about the possibility of the infection spreading and led chief minister Ashok Gehlot to hold a quick review meeting. Soon after, Gehlot announced the decision to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the criminal procedure code.

Officials said the health department is trying to trace people who came in contact with the couple after their return.

SMS hospital medical superintendent Dr DS Meena, who confirmed that three samples had tested positive, said a medical board had been formed to assess the condition of patients.

Rajasthan had earlier reported four coronavirus cases including an Italian couple, part of a larger tourist group, who had tested positive for the virus on March 2.

An 85-year-old Jaipur resident who returned from Dubai also tested positive for the virus on February 28 and tested positive for the virus on March 9.

Doctors at SMS hospital claimed to have successfully treated the three coronavirus patients.

The fourth patient, a 24-year-old who returned from Spain, tested positive on March 14. He is also undergoing treatment at SMS hospital.

The doctors cured the patients by giving them a combination of drugs used to treat swine flu, malaria and HIV.

The ICMR has also approved the protocol followed by the doctors. Doctors from India and abroad have been in contact with the doctors at SMS to get information regarding the treatment regimen, said Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal, SMS medical college.

The total samples tested so far in the state are 469 of which 458 are negative and 7 are under process. There are 1,223 persons under observation in the state while 164 symptomatic persons are in hospitals. A total of 1,081 persons are in home isolation.