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2 Coronavirus cases from Hyderabad referred to Pune’s NIV emerge negative
The two had undergone preliminary tests at Hyderabad’s state-run Gandhi Hospital on Wednesday.
The Telangana health administration on Thursday announced that both the suspected Coronavirus cases registered the previous day had turned out to be negative and there are no fresh cases of the virus in the state.
Telangana health minister Eetala Rajender, who held a meeting of department officials, told reporters in the evening that samples of the two cases – one that of an employee in Raheja Mindspace in Madhapur having travel history to Italy and that of a sanitation worker in Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad, who had come in contact with the 24-year- old techie who tested positive for the virus on Monday – proved negative.
The two had undergone preliminary tests at Hyderabad’s state-run Gandhi Hospital on Wednesday. “Their samples which had been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, turned negative on Thursday,” the minister said, presenting the lab reports to the media. 
He said at present, the only case in Telangana is that of the techie, who got the virus while working with colleagues from Hong Kong in Dubai. He is undergoing treatment and is recovering fast. He is likely to be discharged in a couple of days. As such, there are no other Coronavirus positive cases in Telangana,” Rajender said.
On Wednesday, samples of 21 fresh suspected cases were taken and sent for tests and all of them proved negative. “On Thursday, we sent samples of 10 more patients for tests,” he said.
The minister expressed concern over false alarms being spread in the state. “Many people are rushing to the hospitals even if they have common cold and throat infection. They are insisting that their samples be collected for tests. It is not possible to do tests for everybody unless he or she has specific symptoms of Coronavirus,” he said.
Such was the panic spread among the people that DSM Shared Services closed down its tech campuses in Raheja Mindspace and Brightspace for cleansing and disinfection on Wednesday, after coming to know that one of its employees was diagnosed with Coronavirus. It said till evening everything was sorted out and it had asked its employees to work from home as the sites were closed. 
Rajender, however, said the state government was not complacent. “We have appointed a committee of experts from virology and bacteriology departments to monitor the situation closely and suggest appropriate measures. Guidelines have been issued to 22 private teaching hospitals which had come forward to provide isolation wards and treat the patients free of cost,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Telangana high court, acting on a public interest litigation, directed that the government provide screening facilities at all bus stations and railway stations in the state to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus and supply medicines free of cost.
It also asked the state to ensure availability of masks in sufficient numbers and posted the case to March 12.
