Meghalaya’s lone COVID-19 patient tested positive again, four returnees tested negative

Shillong, May 8: Meghalaya’s lone active patient has tested positive again for the fourth consecutive time on Friday, but her health condition was stable.

The swab sample of the 42-year-old woman was tested at the super-specialty North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIHMS), Mawdiangdiang.

“We have no plans to send the swab sample of the patient to any other medical institutes. We trust NEIGRIHMS and there is nothing wrong in it,” Director of Health Services, Dr. Aman War said.

He said the fifth test will be done on May 11 next.

Asked why the patient tested positive for COVID-19 for the fourth consecutive time, Dr. War said, “If one says the patient is still positive it means the virus is still there. It depends on her immunity now it will develop and it will kill the virus, and she will be alright.”

The woman, a family friend of Meghalaya’s first COVID-19 patient Dr. John L Sailo Rynthathing, who succumbed to the virus, tested positive for the virus on April 15.

The senior health official also informed that the swab samples of the four returnees who entered Meghalaya from Assam have yielded negative for COVID-19.

“Two in Ri-Bhoi have come out negative with anti-PCR and two in Garo Hills, one Tikrkilla and one Ampati have also come out negative,” Dr Warr said.

Meghalaya had registered 12 COVID-19 positive cases, including one death, while ten others have recovered with just one active case remaining as of now.

On the other hand, around 2080 residents of the state, who had been stranded in other states of the North East due to the ongoing nationwide lock-down, have returned home till date, officials said on Friday.

Several others are expected to arrive over the next few weeks from different parts of the country.

“All of them had been screened at the various entry points to the state and no one has been found to be infected,” an official said, adding that all the returnees would have to undergo mandatory home quarantine along with their family members for 14 days a safety measure.

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