India's first coronavirus patient on path to recovery, re-test comes back negative

If the Thrissur medical student’s next test also comes back negative, the coronavirus patient will be declared fully recovered.

news Coronavirus

The latest test results of Kerala's first patient confirmed with coronavirus, who was admitted in the Thrissur Medical College hospital, has returned negative.

According to reports, the patient - a medical student who returned from Wuhan and was confirmed with the virus on January 30 - tested negative in the fifth swab sample that was submitted to the laboratories. If her next sample also tests negative, the patient will be declared fully recovered and will be discharged from the hospital.

District medical authorities in Thrissur also confirmed that the patient's condition is currently stable. Additionally, seven people remain in isolation wards in Thrissur. The remaining persons who are being observed have been moved to their houses and will be quarantined there. This after their tests returned negative for the virus. As on Sunday, 248 people are under home quarantine in Thrissur.

Meanwhile, over 3000 people are still under observation in the state, according to health authorities. Out of the 3114 people under watch, 3099 are under home quarantine and 45 people are admitted in isolation wards of hospitals across the state.

The state, despite withdrawing the 'state calamity' warning for the novel coronavirus, has, however, not let its guard down and are continuing with the 28-day quarantine period for those exhibiting symptoms.

All the three patients tested positive for Coronavirus in Kerala were medical students from Wuhan in China, where the outbreak was first reported. While the Thrissur student's swab samples have returned negative, the government is yet to receive the test results of the two other positive cases in Alappuzha and Kasaragod.

According to the health minister, 288 of the 300 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune have returned negative. The state is waiting for the rest of the samples.

Meanwhile, the Thrissur police have arrested two people for spreading misinformation about the virus. According to reports, the accused men have been identified as Bipeesh and Pradosh of Thrissur's Thalikulam and Irijalakuda respectively.

Twelve people have been arrested in Thrissur in the past, for spreading misinformation about the virus.