The Riau healthcare workers conducted swab tests on the crew members and discovered that four of them were infected with the coronavirus, Dr Indra Yovi, spokesman of the local task force, noted here on Tuesday.
Earlier, the ship’s captain, who had also tested positive for COVID-19, was in a critical condition. He is currently receiving treatment at a Pekanbaru hospital.
The four crew members were in relatively good health, so they were requested to conduct independent isolation aboard the ship under the monitoring of the medical team, Yovi stated.
"You know how the medical team has to struggle. Dressed in hazmat clothes, they have to go up and down the ladder of the ship. But, in any case, this is a task. It is our duty to provide help to anyone and wherever they come from," he remarked.
The Riau health authorities have sent the results of swab tests to Jakarta as part of the preventive measures to stem the transmission of the new variant of COVID-19 that has spread out of control in India.
"Our laboratory has not been able to detect a new variant of the virus. Hence, the samples have been sent to Jakarta," he remarked.
In recent weeks, India has been hit by the COVID-19 tsunami, with an increase in new cases reaching over 400 thousand a day. A new coronavirus mutation, known as variant B 1617, has caused the health crisis in India.
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Translator: Bayu A Adha, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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