Meghalaya COVID-19: Re-test on elderly patient soon

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 11, 2020

A re-test on the 72-year-old man, who was tested positive for COVID-19 recently, will be conducted after three days.

“We will conduct a re-test on him (elderly person) after three days (to know his latest status). His health condition as of now is stable,” Health Minister AL Hek told reporters on Thursday.

The elderly man with no travel history from Umsamlem village in Ri Bhoi district was admitted at the Dr H Gordon Roberts Hospital, Shillong and was later found to be positive for coronavirus.

Hek said till yesterday, a total of 43 persons identified as high risk and low risk contacts of the elderly patient have been tested and all were negative.

“We have already taken all precautionary steps in as far as the area (in the village) is concerned. Contact tracing is still on to find out if there are any more people who came into contact with the patient,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong assured that a dedicated team of health workers is on the ground to contain the spread of the COVID-19.

“There is nothing to worry about it as everything is under control. We will get back to you on the course of action taken as well as the future course of action to be taken,” he said.

Asked, Tynsong said that the team of health workers is on the job to find out the source from where the elderly patient has got infected. “We are yet to know as contact tracing is still going on,” he added.

He said that containment of the area in the village has been done to ensure there is no community transmission takes place at any point of time.

“However, I am happy to tell you that till today by the grace of God, there is no such community transmission in any parts of the state,” Tynsong stated.

On the couple who returned from Delhi recently, the deputy CM said that the couple have very few contacts as they were under quarantine.

“Of course the immediate relatives of this couple they were there as I said we have trained our citizens well, so even the relatives of these two persons they did not take risk by meeting them closely, they did maintain social distancing and even they did not have any close contact with the couple,” he said.

The wife who is pregnant was admitted at NEIGRIHMS before she was tested positive for coronavirus.