A Chinese traveller arriving at Yangon Airport via a China Southern Airlines flight on January 31 morning is under scrutiny for having possible coronavirus symptoms, while only two Myanmar citizens on board were taken and the remaining passengers were sent back on the same flight.
The plane carrying seven 79 people including crew members arrived from Guaungzhuo Airport to Yangon International Airport at 10.30 am on January 31.
There were seven crew members, two Myanmar citizens, two Americans, two French citizens, one Colombian and 72 Chinese. One of the Chinese citizens was found to be suspicious of having coronavirus symptoms.
"It is not true he arrived dead on board the plane. As he has a fever having suspicious symptoms, he has been sent to the hospital that is kept ready," said a senior official from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Dr Khin Khin Gyi, deputy director of the Central Infectious Disease Control Centre, said he is regarded as a suspected patient and the case is under scrutiny for confirmation.
"It's true a suspected patient has been on board the plane from China Southern Airlines. He is a 60-year-old man. He has respiratory symptoms. He also has a fever. He came from Hunan County. He was a suspected patient. We cannot confirm every suspected patient. We have to check. There are tens of thousands of suspected patients in China. We can't say every suspected patient is found to be infected after checks. He will be kept in quarantine and samples from him will be sent to the reference laboratory in Thailand," she said.
The Ministry of Health and Sports issued a statement in the afternoon saying that the Chinese man had symptoms such a bit high temperature, coughing, sneezing and sore throat so he was sent to Waybargi Hospital; and that he is on the lookout in a separate ward.
The two Myanmar citizens are also being watched in a separate room of the hospital though they have no symptoms. The remaining passengers and crew members were not allowed to enter the airport building and sent back on the same plane.
"According to the instructions from the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Immigration Department, we will only take the two Myanmar citizens and the suspected patient. All the others will be sent back," said Soe Paing, general manager of the Civil Aviation Department.
Medical Superintendent Dr Aye Aye Aung of Waybargi Hospital said: "We have sent the blood and nose pad samples from the man to NHL (National Health Laboratory). It will take further action. His stay at the hospital depends on the results of coronavirus. As the incubation period is 14 days, he has to be kept for that period. The answer will be changed If he is virus negative. The two Myanmar citizens are also here for monitoring. They have no fever. But we have to wait for the lab results. It will take one week or two weeks."
