Coronavirus: '2 in isolation, 71 in quarantine at Al Bashir Hospital'

AMMAN — The number of people in quarantine at Al Bashir Hospital for possible exposure to coronavirus has reached 73, with two individuals isolated, Director of the hospital Mahmoud Zureikat said on Tuesday. 

“A person is quarantined if he is suspected of being infected. He remains in quarantine until his infection is either confirmed or denied, after which he is either isolated or released, based on the respective results,” Zureikat said in a statement.

However, the two cases, one of a Jordanian national and another of a Chinese guest worker, are isolated due to the common seasonal flu and not a coronavirus infection, he noted.

Zureikat pointed out that while 71 of the 73 people who returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan have not shown any signs of infection from the virus, another round of tests were being conducted for additional safety measures.

He confirmed that a number of those in quarantine will be allowed to leave the hospital after receiving “accurate and double-checked laboratory results”.

Minister of Health Saad Jaber said in a separate statement that the Epidemic Disease Department in Al Bashir Hospital is “the only health facility currently authorised to implement quarantines on cases”, following rumours of Al Fuheis Hospital taking on the task.

“Al Bashir has been technically equipped for the purposes of quarantine and sanitary isolation and will start to activate additional medical protocols if needed,” the minister added.

He said that the preventive health measures that have been implemented at the border crossings are “important and within the pre-prepared medical protocols necessary to prevent the virus from reaching Jordan”.

Jaber reiterated that the students who have returned from China and are currently in quarantine at Al Bashir Hospital will be reexamined as a preventive measure during the 14-day quarantine period.

The ministry has reviewed emergency plans and readiness requirements, including tests for detection of HIV infection. China has provided the Kingdom with 5,000 medical bags including tests that give “accurate results and were specially manufactured to check for the new coronavirus”, according to the statement.

“The importance of continuously updating the emergency plans and procedures rests in light of global developments that have confirmed the spread of the disease,” the minister concluded.