Meghalaya: NEIGRIHMS shut after BSF jawan tests COVID-19 positive

The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Meghalaya has decided to shut down hospital services including OPD and emergency services till further orders, after one patient, a resident of BSF headquarters, Umpling tested positive for COVID-19.

A statement issued by NEIGRIHMS director, Dr P Bhattacharryya, however, said that indoor patient care services, will remain operational.

“There has been an inadvertent exposure to COVID-19 in NEIGRIHMS on the 9" of July, 2020. The patient, a resident of BSF, Umpling had a RT-PCR test done on the 1st of July 2020 which was negative. He was subsequently admitted in the Orthopedics ward (non-COVID ward) on the 4^th of July, 2020 based on his recent report. He developed fever during his stay and on 9th July a repeat RT-PCR was done which was positive. The patient has now been shifted to the COVID ward,” the director stated in the statement.

Also read: Meghalaya: 54 more tested COVID-19 positive, count stands at 167

The director further added, “The patient has had an extensive contact footprint in the hospital. Due to this the hospital needs to be decontaminated and internal contact tracing is to be undertaken. This being a major exercise, the NEIGRIHMs hospital services including OPD and emergency services will be closed till further orders. The indoor patient care services, however, will remain operational. The state health authorities have been informed of the same.”

Altogether, Meghalaya reported 54 COVID-19 cases on July 10^th, 2020 taking the state’s total to 167, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma stated. All the infected persons are from BSF, Umpling.

With these, the number of active COVID-19 cases has gone up to 121 while 45 have been cured and discharged so far. The state registered one COVID-19 related death so far.

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