Dimapur, April 13 (EMN): The family members of a resident of Dimapur who had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 12 at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), have been quarantined as part of measures to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from spreading.
The patient was reportedly referred to GMCH by a private hospital in Dimapur after he showed symptoms of Covid-19.
Earlier, Eastern Mirror spoke to State Nodal Officer (IDSP) and Deputy Director Dr. Nyan Kikon on Monday. The official had said that the patient would be recorded as another Covid-19 case of Assam 'because the patient was tested positive in Assam' despite the patient being a resident of Dimapur, Nagaland.
Case history
According to the case history of the patient, he arrived from Kolkata by an Air India Flight on March 24 2020. A self-declaration form was submitted to the medical staff who advised him to undergo home quarantine of 14 days, with the condition that if he showed any symptom he was to contact the district surveillance unit in accordance with guidelines.
The case history was stated in a report of the Nagaland government's health authorities, including the state's minister for Health S Pangyu Phom, who had a meeting on April 13 at 12:30 am, according to a copy of the report.
On March 30, in accordance with the protocol, the district surveillance team contacted the patient and enquired about his health. They confirmed that he was fine without any sign or symptom of the Covid-19, the updates stated.
The team reminded him to contact the control room of the Chief Medical Officer’s Office in case of any health issues during the quarantine period.
According to information received from the patient’s father, he had complained of vomiting blood on April 6.
On April 8, he was taken to Zion Hospital in Dimapur and was admitted as an indoor patient. He was discharged on April 10, the updates stated.
On April 11, the patient was readmitted to Zion Hospital. On the same day, at approximately 6:30 pm, the district surveillance team received a call from Zion Hospital stating that the patient was in a critical condition.
The district surveillance officer for the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) advised the Zion Hospital staff to stabilise the patient and to send him to the Covid-19 hospital at Dimapur for further evaluation and to contact the public relations officer, Covid-19 hospital.
According to the report of the Covid-19 Hospital at Dimapur, the patient came at 9:43 pm on April 11 with a discharge slip from Zion Hospital requesting to be referred to the Apollo Hospital at Guwahati for further treatment and evaluation.
On the request of the patient, the Covid-19 Hospital at Dimapur referred him to Guwahati.
The district surveillance team informed that the patient’s mobile footprint had been tracked from the day of his arrival on March 24 to the day he was referred to the GMCH.
Following the events, the entire Marwari Patti and Ghorapatty area in Dimapur have been sealed. The wholesale market at GS Road and retail shops at Marwaripatti and Ghorapatty will be closed until further orders.
The parents and family members of the patient who are presently in Guwahati are undergoing mandatory tests. (A source said on Monday afternoon that they are the patient's father and another person.)
The Zion Hospital & Research Centre in Dimapur has been sealed off. The doctors, nurses and all other staff along with their family members who came into direct and indirect contact with the patient will be in quarantine, the meeting minutes' copy stated.
Contact tracing has started for the passengers who were on the same flight, Air India 709, taken by the patient on March 24.
Although the 14-day quarantine period lapsed on April 6, owing to the current emergent situation, those passengers have been directed to immediately report to their respective district surveillance unit/CMO office to check their health as a precautionary measure.
The contact numbers of the district surveillance unit of Dimapur are 7630877991 and 7630877983.
Travel history
According to a reliable source from Zion Hospital in Dimapur, the patient who tested positive for the Covid-19 did not reveal his travel history when he went to Zion Hospital on April 8.
“Only on April 11, the day he was referred to Guwahati, the Zion hospital authorities came to know of his travel history and alerted the Covid-19 team,” said the source.
It was informed that on April 8, the patient had come with low haemoglobin levels and was even given a blood transfusion.
The source informed that at present 32 patients have been admitted in the hospital. It is under complete lockdown and sealed off with its hospital staff as well.
“It is worrying for the staff and patients as they will be under complete lockdown for at least two weeks, which means that food and supplies will also be needed,” the source said.
Further, the source reiterated that the Covid-19 team in Dimapur should get throat swab samples of the entire staff at Zion Hospital to check if any of them were infected.
In a live video on social media, Assam’s minister for Health and Family Welfare, Himanta Biswa Sarma briefed media persons. He said the patient from Nagaland who tested positive for the virus is in the ICU and rubbished rumours of his demise.
Further, the minister tweeted that no Covid-19 patient had died at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital.
‘Patient not dead’
A person known to the patient spoke to Eastern Mirror. According to the source, the patient is alive and undergoing treatment. Social media misinterpreted the situation, said the person, clarifying rumours about the death of the patient.
The source said that the patient, after reaching Dimapur, was in home quarantine under the supervision of the Dimapur Covid-19 team.
Now, the government has kept all of his 11 family members including two domestic helpers in quarantine at the Jal Mahal Hotel in Dimapur, one of the government’s quarantine facilities.
As for the patient's health, he said, initially the patient did not show any symptoms. The patient was first diagnosed as having a 'gastric problem', and was discharged from Zion Hospital on April 10.
Later, the patient had some complications such as breathing problems. He went to Zion Hospital, from where he was referred to GMSH in Assam, it was informed.