Third Covid-19 test of Dimapur man returns positive

Fourth test due in few days; officials confirm result for second test was negative

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 23 (EMN): The department of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) on Thursday informed that the third test result of the Dimapur resident, who had tested positive for Covid-19 in Assam, has returned positive.

Addressing a press conference, the secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Kesonyu Yhome, said that the fourth test is due in few days.

He also confirmed that the second test of the patient had returned negative—as reported earlier by Eastern Mirror.

Presently, the patient is said to be stable and has been shifted from the intensive care unit to the isolation ward for further observation, the secretary informed.

According to him, the state’s Health department is in touch with the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) officials to enquire about his health status.

Yhome added that the department received a report from the superintendent of the hospital informing that the patient had initially tested positive for Covid-19 upon admission to GMCH. The department has been in touch with the hospital over the phone from day one but did not officially write to them, he said.  

Principal Director of H&FW Dr. Vizolie Suokhrie said that the patient has underlying diseases and that had led to the doctors ‘to think’ that the patient was having other illness rather than the Covid-19 infection.

In that process, he said, it was ‘thought appropriate’ to refer the patient to Guwahati. According to him, the patient was in fact referred to Apollo Hospital in Guwahati.

‘But in the meantime, the patient himself had already arranged to go to GMCH. Referring him to Guwahati doesn’t mean Nagaland doctors had refused to take the patient in,’ he said.

‘Initially, the main diagnosis was not on Covid-19. But whatever it is, it would have been much better if this case—first sample—had been collected from the state,’ Suokhrie added.

He assured that the directorate has already received the detailed report from the superintendent of District Hospital, Dimapur, as to how the patient had initially come to the hospital and subsequently left for Guwahati.

The official said that the department is examining the report, while adding that ‘this crisis is a good lesson for us to learn’.

He also said that the result of the fourth test is ‘very likely to return on April 26 but that depends on the condition of the patient’. 

On the reasons behind the variations in the result of test samples, state nodal officer of ISDP, Dr. Nyanthung Kikon said that there is no guarantee that all tests will be positive or all tests will be negative.

‘Sometimes negative results do come out. It is all within the realm of positivity and negativity,’ he said.

‘In exercising abundance precautionary measures’, repeated tests are done at the discretion of the treating doctor; whether or not the test will be final, depends on the treating doctor, he said.

607 samples sent

With regard to the surveillance activities in the containment zone in Dimapur, over 5000 persons have been interviewed covering 909 households as of Thursday.

So far, all samples (382) sent from Dimapur district have tested negative, the department informed. As of Thursday, a total of 543 samples out of 607 sent from Nagaland have been received and all have tested negative.

The department thanked the Assam government for taking care of the patient from Nagaland. It also expressed gratitude to neighbouring states, Assam and Manipur, for performing the tests for samples that are sent from Nagaland.