NET News Desk
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 has tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement issued by NEIGRIHMS Director, Dr P Bhattacharryya it has been mentioned that a BSF personnel was admitted to the Orthopedics ward at NEIGRIHMS hospital, following which he tested positive on July 9. However, when he was tested for Covid-19 earlier, his test had come out negative.
However, he later developed fever following which an RT-PCR was done and he was detected COVID positive this time. The patient has now been shifted to the COVID ward.
“The patient, a resident of BSF, Umpling had a RT-PCR test done on July 1 which was negative. He was subsequently admitted in the Orthopedics ward (non-COVID ward) on July 4 based on his recent report. He developed a fever during his stay and on July 9, a repeat RT-PCR was done which was positive,” the statement said.
As the patient has had an extensive contact footprint in the hospital, the NEIGRIHMS authority said that the hospital now has to be decontaminated and internal contact tracing is to be undertaken.
The statement further stated that the indoor patient care services will remain operational. The State Health authorities have been informed about the development.
The statement further read that there has been an inadvertent exposure to COVID-19 in NEIGRIHMS on Thursday.
“This being a major exercise, the NEIGRIHMs hospital services including OPD and emergency services will be closed till further orders,” Bhattacharryya said in the statement.
As per reports, Meghalaya, which was low in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, has now increased the number to 142, after 41 new cases which include 38 BSF personnel and three returnees from Bihar and Delhi tested positive on Thursday and in the wee hours on Friday.
Altogether, 65 BSF personnel have tested positive in Meghalaya till date taking the number of active positive cases to 95.
In total, Meghalaya recorded 142 positive cases which include 95 active cases, 45 recovered, and 2 deaths.
