Rwanda case: Mumbai man’s wife too tests positive for coronavirus

Days after a 45-year-old Mumbai resident became the first person in Rwanda, central Africa, to be diagnosed with Covid-19, his wife too has tested positive for the

Days after a 45-year-old Mumbai resident became the first person in Rwanda, central Africa, to be diagnosed with Covid-19, his wife too has tested positive for the virus. Both are undergoing treatment at an isolation ward in Kibagabaga Hospital, Kigali.

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As per the information by Rwanda health department, after the man tested positive for coronavirus, his wife and child were quarantined and their swab samples were collected for analysis. The 32-year-old woman has tested positive.

Malick Kayumba, head of Rwanda Health Communication, said, “They are both stable and undergoing treatment. We send the details to the ministry every day.”

As HT reported last week, the Mumbai resident works for an intergovernmental organisation in Kigali, Rwanda. He returned from Mumbai on March 8 with no symptoms and passed through the surveillance at Mumbai airport. But soon, he started developing flu symptoms such as fever, cold and running nose. He home-quarantined himself and informed the health officers. On March 13, he tested positive for Covid-19.

He became the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Rwanda. Since then, the number of coronavirus cases in Rwanda has increased to 11. Most of the infected patients are travellers or who were in close contact with them.

When HT got in touch with state health officer in Maharashtra, they overruled the chances of him having infected other people in the city during his short visit as he was not detected during airport screening.