Kolkata: A youth who had reached the city from London on March 13, tested positive for COVID-19 late on Thursday night. The 22-year-old, a resident of a posh multi-storey apartment on Panditiya Road in South Kolkata, is presently admitted for treatment in an isolation room at the new campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) at New Town. This is the second confirmed case in Bengal, according to sources in the state Health department.
It has been learnt that the youth developed symptoms of novel Coronavrus on March 16 and was admitted at Beliaghata ID Hospital. The swabs of the patient were collected and the report from National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) confirmed that he has contracted the deadly virus.
The youth lives in a joint family in two adjoining flats with his parents, brother, uncle, aunt, grandparents and three cousins. Along with the ten members of the family, the household help who lives with them has also been taken to the quarantine facility at CNCI in New Town.
The youth had returned from London on an Air India flight on the evening of March 13 and was asked not to venture outside his residence for a period of 14 days. But he did not abide by the instructions and had visited his father's shops located at SP Mukherjee Road and Ishwar Ganguly Street in Kalighat area.
Locals said that he had also visited the tea stall near his residence. His father owns a bathroom fittings business.
The local councillor, who is also one of the Members, Mayor-in-Council of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has an apartment in the premises as well. He said that the youth has put more than 200-odd residents of the apartment at risk by venturing out.
Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, who is in charge of the Health department of KMC, said that activities regarding awareness on COVID-19 have been strengthened in and around the area where the second case was detected.
"I have given strict instructions to our concerned officials to keep track of the people to ensure that those who have been advised to remain in isolation are doing so after returning from abroad. A dedicated person has been employed who is monitoring such cases more than once during a day," Ghosh said.
There are around 3,000 people in the city who have been advised to remain in isolation.
Meanwhile, cosmetic surgeon Manoj Khanna was also admitted at Beliaghata ID Hospital on Friday afternoon, with symptoms like cough and cold accompanied by fever. Khanna had returned a few days ago from Manchester via Dubai. But instead of being in quarantine he allegedly visited a club and played tennis.
He also examined a few patients during this period. His son is also admitted at the same hospital. Both of their swabs have been sent for examination.
A senior member of Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that they are monitoring such callous activities of doctors. The IMA has also scrapped the membership of Dr Shyamal Ghosh for treating many patients in Nadia, even after coming in close contact with his 18-year-old son, who had arrived at Kolkata from London with corona symptoms but evaded admission despite appeals from the senior officials at two government-run hospitals in the city. The boy later tested positive as the first case in the state.
As per sources in the state Health department, 20,200 passengers across the state have been enlisted for observation and 19,902 have been kept under home surveillance. 122 are presently in hospital isolation, while samples have been collected from 104 persons.