Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Apr 16: Arunachal’s first Covid-19 positive person has tested negative for the second time in a row. His fourth swab sample, collected on 15 April, also returned a negative result.
As per protocol, two negative reports of samples collected 24 hours apart are required for declaring a Covid-19 positive patient cured.
“The person is doing well and is fit for discharge,” Tezu Zonal General Hospital Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr SM Singh, said in a bulletin.
The person, who had a history of travelling to Delhi, was quarantined and sent to the hospital in Tezu on 2 April after testing positive.
Lohit DMO, Dr S Chai Pul, said that a decision will be taken on Friday, after consultation with the doctors, regarding the release of the recovered person.
Speaking to this daily, the man said he is happy that he is cured, and that he is looking forward to meeting his parents. He thanked the doctors, the nurses, the lab technicians and the hospital attendants for taking care of him.
“Each of them took care of me and helped me. They have been there right from the beginning, helping me cope with the stress. It is not easy to be cooped up in an isolation room for 15 days. The DMO and her team have been a great source of strength, and I am grateful to each one of them,” he said.
His family members, including his parents, continue to remain in a quarantine facility, as per the Covid-19 protocol. They have all tested negative twice.
So far the state has collected 343 swab samples. The results of 16 are awaited, while the rest have returned negative results, according to the health department.
