US Tourist who Recently Visited Guwahati, Detected with Coronavirus in Bhutan

Thimphu, March 6, 2020:

The Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, has confirmed that an elderly United States (US) tourist, who was on a tour of South Asia, has been afflicted by the deadly coronavirus. This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on the country that neighbors India's Northeast.

An official release from the Bhutan PMO's office list the circumstances that led to the detection of the virus in the 76-year-old US tourist whose name is yet to be disclosed. The result was validated at 12.30 am, Bhutan time. The patient is a 76-year-old from the United States of America, who had come to Bhutan as a tourist. He had entered the country from Paro International Airport, after embarking Drukair flight KB241 from Guwahati in the Northeast Indian State Assam, on March 2.

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Adhering to the National Preparedness and Response Plan, and the operating procedures in place, all follow-up actions were initiated immediately.

The patient was touring India from February 21 to March 1. He had started his travel from Washington DC on February 18 and was travelling with his partner, aged 59. There were 10 passengers on board, of which eight others were Indian nationals. At the Paro International Airport, the patient’s health declaration form was assessed. He had indicated “negative” against all conditions.

However, upon reaching Thimphu, around 3pm, he visited the medical OPD at JDWNRH, complaining of a bloated abdomen (dyspepsia symptoms) and nausea. The patient and his partner stayed at Le Meridien on the first night. The following day, he stayed indoors most of the time and went to the hospital again around 3.30 pm for stomach upset and diarrhea.

Yesterday, upon returning to Thimphu, he visited JDWNRH again. He was found to have fever, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath. He was kept under observation at the flu clinic (designated COVID-19 hospital) and samples were collected and sent to Royal Centre for Disease Control (RCDC).

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Upon confirmation, he has been isolated in the COVID-19 hospital. Considering his age and underlying conditions, the patient is on oxygen support. Meanwhile, 90 people who interacted with the patient have also been identified. The close contacts were his partner, the driver and the guide. While all three are asymptomatic for now, they have been quarantined at the designated COVID-19 hospital.

Following the detection of the first case of the virus, the Bhutan Government is taking extra precautions to ensure the outbreak of the deadly virus that has so far affected tens of thousands worldwide.

The government will impose two weeks restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect. This is to enable rigorous monitoring, source assessment of infection and mitigate the situation.

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