Coronavirus outbreak: Some relieved, others hope for negative results

A senior citizen couple who reside in the city tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday at civic-run Kasturba Gandhi Hospital.

A senior citizen couple who reside in the city tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday at civic-run Kasturba Gandhi Hospital.

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When HT got in touch with the 70-year-old man who is currently isolated in the hospital, he said health officers on Tuesday afternoon reached their suburban home and took them to the hospital for testing.

“We [he and his 68-year-old wife] had a fever but we never thought it was coronavirus until the officers reached our doorstep,” he said.

The couple had recently returned from a trip to Dubai with the first coronavirus positive patient in Maharashtra, but the man was unaware that the virus had spread to the Middle East.

“I didn’t know the situation was so severe and when we booked our tickets, the tour guide didn’t tell us anything,” he said.

The man hasn’t informed his son who lives abroad, of the situation and is hopeful the National Institute of Virology, Pune test results will come back negative. “The doctors haven’t confirmed to me that we are infected with coronavirus so we are still hopeful,” he said.

Another couple who had travelled to Dubai with the infected patient, but was not infected, thanked their strong immunity for keeping them safe. On Tuesday morning, the 61-year-old wife got a call from the state health department to rush to Kasturba Hospital for testing. She got admitted there with her 71-year-old husband. On Wednesday morning around 8am, their samples were collected and in the evening, they were discharged from the hospital after both test reports came back negative for coronavirus.

“We do regular exercise and yoga to keep ourselves strong. We also focus on our food habits… this has helped us to increase our immunity. That’s why we didn’t get infected,” said the woman.

A woman and her mother who had travelled to Dubai were also found negative for coronavirus. However, their names were leaked on social media and they are upset by the violation of their privacy.

“If I knew who had leaked our information on social media with our names and address, I would have filed a case. People need to understand that it is a sensitive issue and we can get stigmatised,” said the younger woman.

When asked about their health, she refused to make a statement, saying, “We have had enough suffering because of the travel. I am happy that my mother is safe.”