First coronavirus suspect reported in Punjab

A 28-year-old Mohali resident, who returned from China recently, has been admitted to the isolation ward of PGIMER here after showing novel coronavirus-like symptoms, an official said on Tuesday. This is the first suspected case of novel coronavirus in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh region.

The patient, who hails from Uttar Pradesh but lives in Punjab's Mohali, had returned from China last week. The patient complained of fever and respiratory discomfort, said Dr Gagandeep Singh, State programme officer, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Punjab, on Tuesday.

The patient, who is said to be a banker, himself went to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), for treatment in Chandigarh, official said. The patient has been kept in an isolation ward and is under observation, the official said, adding his samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology Pune.

The family of the patient has been contacted by Mohali heath authorities, the official said, adding they have not shown any such symptoms. Novel coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has so far killed 80 people and affected 2,744 in China is a novel strain and has not been seen before.

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