Meghalaya’s first COVID-19 patient, a 69 year old doctor, passed away on Wednesday morning.
He breathed his last at around 2:45 am.
Sampath Kumar, commissioner and secretary of Meghalaya’s Health Department has also confirmed the news of the passing away of the patient.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma also tweeted:
‘I am deeply saddened to inform that the first #COVID19 positive patient in Meghalaya passed away this morning at 2:45 am. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace.’
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Friends and well-wishers have already started sending condolence messages on various social media platforms at the demise of the first COVID-19 patient of Meghalaya.
Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Manikya tweeted:
‘We knew Dr Sailo for over 30 years and his passing away within days has indeed shocked many of us . He was a good man who did his best for his patients. RIP Dr Sailo you will be missed #CoronaVirus’.
The senior doctor from Bethany Hospital in Shillong had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Without any travel history, it is still surprising as to how the 69 year-old doctor got infected with the deadly virus.
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Now it remains to be seen how the Meghalaya government would follow WHO’s COVID-19 protocol and Government of India’s guidelines to lay the body to rest.
Earlier, the Meghalaya government has urged all patients and visitors who had been to Bethany Hospital after March 22 last to contact the Health department through the emergency helpline numbers and get health check-ups and go for quarantine.
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The status of the doctor as COVID-19 positive was confirmed by a test conducted by North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) and later endorsed by NIV, Pune.
Immediately after the confirmation, the authorities had sealed the Bethany Hospital and had put all other doctors, nurses and staff under quarantine.
Even the East Khasi Hills district administration had clamped curfew for 48 hours from Tuesday morning across Shillong and its adjoining areas.
This is the second COVID-19 death in the Northeast.
Earlier, on April 10, Assam recorded the first death of a patient infected by coronavirus.
A resident of Hailakandi, an ex-BSF jawan breathed his last at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital due to COVID-19 complications.