[Staff Reporter]
ITANAGAR, Jul 23: A 14-year-old girl student of Huto English School in Nirjuli was found to be positive for Covid-19 during tests conducted by the rapid response teams in the Itanagar capital region (ICR) on Thursday.
She is one of the primary contacts of the first positive case detected in her family a few days earlier, health officials said.
“Only 24 people were tested from within the school staff quarters. No outsiders were tested,” the officials added.
Altogether 2672 antigen tests in 20 wards under the IMC were carried out in the ICR on Thursday, and 30 people tested positive for Covid-19.
Three others were detected through RT-PCR tests.
The details of the tests in the ICR are (see box).
ICR DMO Dr Mandip Perme informed: “At Banderdewa check gate, 180 truckers and a few returnees were tested, whose results were negative. Also, the results of all the frontline workers who were tested at the Ashoka hotel turned out negative.”
He also informed that the people of the ICR are extending full cooperation to the health department in conducting random testing.
“The colony/sector leaders, former IMC councillors, public leaders and the IMC are extending support to the effort of the health department. The public too are coming out in large numbers to get tested. These efforts will surely help to break the chain of transmission,” said Dr Perme.
However, he added that in a few areas the people resisted the effort to conduct tests.
“We are hopeful that the situation will change and they will allow us to conduct random tests,” said the DMO.
On Thursday, the state recorded a total of 42 new cases of Covid-19, with 33 cases in the ICR.
Papum Pare district reported a local case in Chiputa.
Namsai reported four cases, and Lower Dibang Valley recorded one case – all returnees.
Three military personnel, all returnees from Guwahati, tested positive in West Siang. They were detected in quarantine facility and were shifted to their own CCC in Likabali.