Meghalaya: 8 COVID Patients Test 'Negative', on Path towards Recovery

Shillong, April 29, 2020:

All the 16 family members of Meghalaya's first COVID-19 patient who passed away earlier this month including the 8 who were tested positive, were tested again. Their test results came in today and they have all tested negative, Meghalaya officials said.

Talking to us yesterday, Meghalaya Health Minister Al Hek said that the active patients in the state are well on their path towards recovery. “Right now, our Government is focused on containing the spread of the virus, and we have been successful to a certain degree. Eleven of the patients are still undergoing treatment, while one has died. I don’t see any possibility of any further casualties and none of the patients have any symptoms. All of the patients are recovering now. They are all stable and normal. 3 patients are in the corona care centre in Shillong, while the others have been quarantined at home”, Hek told us.

ALSO READ: Assam: BPF Demands Election Commission to Immediately Conduct Election in BTC

The 8 positive cases of the family members will need to be tested again after 24 hours as per protocol, to be declared as "cured" from the virus.

In Meghalaya, meanwhile, 1,382 samples were sent for testing to date and 1,202 samples have been tested negative. The state currently has 11 active positive cases of the virus and 168 test reports are awaited.

In terms of health infrastructure, Meghalaya has 1,00,926 PPE kits, 1,16,826 N95 masks, 5,10,000 triple-layer masks and 6,050 Viral Transport Mediums (VTMs) currently in stock.

As of the moment, 6,507 individuals are under home quarantine and 312 have been kept under institutional quarantine. 150 home visits were made as on April 26 by a team of doctors for primary contacts of the COVID patients who are under home quarantine.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.