Noida reports first COVID-19 case in months; 54-year-old man tests positive

With coronavirus rearing its ugly head once again in most part of the world, a man from Noida in India’s Uttar Pradesh has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming a first case of the respiratory infection in Gautam Buddh Nagar after several months. The patient is a 54-year-old male who resides in Noida and works at a multinational company in Haryana’s Gurugram, Gautam Buddh Nagar Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Sunil Sharma said. “His test sample has been sent to Delhi for genome sequencing. The result is awaited,” Sharma said. The patient had travelled to Nepal earlier this month and after returning, he also went to work in his Gurugram office, District Surveillance Officer and public healthcare expert Dr Amit Kumar said. COVID-19 symptoms in Noida patient Whether the Noida COVID-19 patient showed any symptoms, Kumar said, he is asymptomatic and went for the COVID-19 test on his own. “This is the only confirmed case in Gautam Buddh Nagar so far,” he added. Testing for COVID-19 had down in Gautam Buddh Nagar this year, asserted CMO Sharma, asking people to get themselves tested for the virus at primary and community health centres as well as in the district hospital. The residents have been asked by the healthcare department to follow COVID appropriate measures amid concerns over the infection spreading once again. People have been urged to wash their hands with a soap for a minute, practice social distancing, use alcohol-based sanitisers, wear face mask when outdoors, among other measures, Kumar added. With inputs from PTI