‘She Didn’t Go Abroad Or Communicate With Newly Arrived’

The doctors are trying to figure out where the pensioner from Zhytkavichy got the virus.

On Monday, March 23, it became known that a second case of coronavirus infection appeared in the Homel region. But unlike the first infected - the athlete guy who brought Covid-19 from Europe, now a dangerous virus was found in a pensioner from Zhytkavichy. But this is a district center in the very outback of Palessie, writes kp.by.

According to kp.by, a 58-year-old woman works in the human resources department of one of the city’s enterprises. She went on a sick leave a week ago. The woman complained of dry cough, fever and weakness. The local doctors realized that it wasn’t just an ordinary respiratory infection when they made an X-ray - it was bilateral pneumonia. The pensioner felt very ill, she was taken to a hospital, a coronavirus test was taken, and soon she was sent to the Homel regional hospital, where the woman was brought on Monday.

Meanwhile, her Covid-19 test came back positive.

“Doctors are now working here, they are checking everyone’s temperature, disinfecting the room,” KP was told at the enterprise where the lady works, on Monday afternoon. “She didn’t go anywhere, not even left the district, let alone going abroad, as far as we know.”

Residents of the district center who are familiar with the woman are wondering where the coronavirus might have come from. Some say that the daughter of a colleague of the pensioner went to St.Petersburg, Russia - perhaps she got infected there, then the virus got to her mother, who brought it to work.

However, in the regional health department this version is questioned. After two hours of waiting, the KP correspondent got to Head of the department Mikalai Kudzenchuk. Two of his deputies refused point-blank to tell anything - the journalists had to wait until the Head was free after the meeting.

- Now in Zhytkavichy the regional sanitary service is conducting an epidemiological investigation - establishing contacts. There is no information yet that the woman was abroad or even outside the district. There is evidence that the daughter of her colleague was in Russia, but - two months ago, in January. Linking is difficult. An epidemiological investigation is underway, during which they must find out where and how the woman could become infected. Nothing is known yet,” said Mikalai Kudzenchuk.

Now the woman is in order, she is conscious, artificial lungs ventilation is not required. All those who had contact with the pensioner - and this is more than 40 people - were isolated: some in the Zhytkavichy hospital, some in the Homel one. These are relatives, colleagues, and doctors.

The head of the regional health department reassured the Homel residents - they will not quarantine the hospital, it works as before. Zhytkavichy hospital and polyclinic also work.