A 32-year-old woman who was isolated at the Hospital de Sant Joan d’Alacant due to a suspected case of hantavirus left the hospital yesterday, 25th May, to continue her quarantine at home. The move comes after she returned a fifth consecutive negative PCR test result since being admitted.
According to the Ministry of Health, the patient remains completely asymptomatic. She will continue her self-isolation at home until 5th June under the active daily surveillance of Public Health officials, in line with protocols established by the Ministry of Health. The woman was transferred to her residence in an ambulance equipped with the specific safety measures required by health protocols.
The protocol mandates that the patient must stay in an individual room, preferably with its own bathroom and good ventilation, whilst maintaining regular contact with health professionals via telephone or the internet. Furthermore, people living in the same household must adopt preventive measures, which include wearing FFP2 face masks in shared areas and maintaining strict hand hygiene throughout the remainder of the quarantine period.
As part of the daily monitoring until the isolation period ends, the patient is required to take her temperature periodically and immediately report any symptoms compatible with the virus. Before leaving the hospital, the woman signed an information and commitment document for home quarantine, declaring she has received all preventive instructions and agreeing to follow the rules set out by the health authorities.
The woman was originally admitted to the hospital in Alicante on 8th May, becoming the first hospitalised suspected case of hantavirus in Spain. She developed mild symptoms, including a cough, after travelling on an aeroplane alongside an infected passenger linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, who passed away days later. Since her admission, she had been kept isolated in a negative pressure room at the hospital under strict safety measures to prevent any risk of transmission.
