A 27-year-old labourer admitted in the novel coronavirus isolation ward of Palamau Medical College and Hospital (PAMCH) with symptoms of fever and whose swab tests were awaited, fled from the facility on Saturday taking advantage of a renovation work going on in the vicinity of the ward.

The man was admitted on April 17, said sources, adding that not even the inmates of the ward knew about his escape till 8pm on Saturday.

Health officials are tight-lipped on how this happened but many said there is a renovation work going on in the vicinity of the isolation ward over the last few days and on Saturday the man walked down from the isolation ward with the construction workers after they were done for the day.

Palamau superintendent of police Ajay Linda told The Telegraph: “Three teams of the police are searching the man who fled from the isolation ward. We have knocked at the two places -- Palamau’s Chainpur block and Danda in Garhwa district — where the man used to stay. But we couldn’t find him there.”

The superintendent of police added: “It is strange how renovation work is going on in the vicinity of an isolation ward when it should have been a no-footfall area except for nurses, doctors and other paramedics.”

The superintendent of police further said that he had asked the sub-divisional police officer, Sandip Kumar Gupta, to file a detailed report on the renovation work going on at the hospital which helped the man to flee with the workers.

SDPO Gupta said preliminary investigations found no one saw the man leaving the ward.

“Not even the inmates. It is not exactly known if he escaped in the forenoon or afternoon on Saturday but his absence was noticed in the isolation ward only on Saturday night,” the SDPO said.

He added: “I will submit a detailed report on the repair/renovation work going on in the vicinity of the ward to our SP.”

The SDPO said health officials have said the man was admitted in the ward on April 17 with complaints of fever.

Civil surgeon John F. Kennedy said: “His swabs were collected and sent to RIMS-Ranchi for tests.

His reports are yet to come but out of sheer panic this man ran away from here.”

Kennedy said there is more work to be done to convince people that swab tests are just a medical exercise and it does not mean one has morbidity.

Gupta added: “The man is a labourer. He has come from Gujarat around the time of Holi in March and was in good health except a bout of fever for which his people got him here. But he fled without waiting for the test reports to come.”

Common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness, and a dry cough. Some people may experience aches and pains, nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat and diarrhoea.