The 38-year-old man from Assam’s South Salmara Mankachar district, who tested positive for COVID19, returned from Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi on March 23, say officials.
The man, who has been kept in the isolation ward of the civil hospital at Hatsingimari, has emerged as the first positive case of COVID19 in the south banks of old Dhubri district, health officials said.
“The swab sample of the man, a resident of Old Sukhchar village in the district, was sent to Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) for test and the report came positive,” said nodal district medical officer for COVID19 Dr SU Khandkar.
Also read: Four new COVID-19 positive cases in Assam
Earlier on Friday, Assam health minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted about four new COVID19 cases in Assam including three from Nalbari and one from South Salmara.
“The man from South Salmara district attended the religious congregation in Nizamuddin Markaz and returned back on March 23,” officials said.
It may be mentioned that most of the cases in Assam found positive for COVID19 have links with Tablighi Jamaat held at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi.
The man had been under home quarantine since March 30.
“The district health authority has kept the patient at a special isolation ward in the civil hospital at Hatsingimari and all his family members are also under quarantine,” medical officials said.
The swab samples of the family members would also be collected and sent for test, the officials added.
Sources revealed that nine more people from South Salmara also attended the congregation.
Meanwhile, the police are on the job to trace all the people who came in contact with the infected man.
A total of six samples were sent from the district for test and the results of the remaining five are yet to arrive.