Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday said a total of 738 sent for COVID19 test, 667 samples came out negative while results for 60 samples are awaited.
Meghalaya currently has 10 active positive cases.
Chief minister Sangma said the condition of all the patients, who have tested positive, is stable as of now.
On testing protocol and case management protocols for confirmed positive cases, Sangma said, “A lot of people have called asking why they have not been tested.”
“But tests have been prioritised. The high-risk primary contacts those who lived in close proximity and contact with the positive patient are the highest primary contacts, for which testings are being done first,” the chief minister added.
“The next level will be other symptomatic primary contacts. These are primary contacts who have been in close proximity with the concerned individual,” the CM said.
“And third are symptomatic high risk individuals who have visited the concerned hospital on or after March 24 and registered with the government and these are more of individuals who met the person directly,” Sangma further said.
He also informed that all asymptotic cases and asymptomatic individuals, who have visited Bethany Hospital after March 24 and have registered with the government, are currently not being tested.
“All those individuals should go for mandatory home quarantine for at least 14 days and in case they develop symptoms, they should call the helpline number 108,” he explained.
On one of the positive case detected in the suburban area, the CM said, “The person was working in the house of index patient (first COVID positive case) and the sample of the four high-risk primary contacts and 32 other primary contacts of the person, who tested positive, have already been collected.”
He informed that the headman of that particular village have urged all the primary contacts of the new case from the area to be under strict home quarantine with the support of the frontline health workers.
“Visits have been made by the health officials in the village and officials of the block have visited the village to ensure that they instil confidence in the village and the family concerned,” the CM added.
On case management protocol, the chief minister said, “All the asymptomatic category A and mild symptomatic category B positive patients do not require hospitalisation. As per the protocol issued by the MoHFW they should be either in home quarantine or they can opt to be shifted to the Government designated Corona Care centre by calling 108.”
He also said in case the patients do not have space for them to self-isolate at home, they can avail facilities of the government.
“Existing evidence shows that 80 per cent of the positive cases across the world fall under category A and category B,” the chief minister said.
“Severe and symptomatic cases having respiratory distress, breathing difficulty requiring oxygen support fall under category C and they would be treated at the designated hospital,” he added.
Sangma also informed that severe symptomatic cases with other comorbidity conditions and requiring ventilator and ICU support is category D who would be treated at designated hospitals having such facilities like the Civil Hospital, Dr. H. Gordon Roberts Hospital Care, Shillong and Nazareth Hospital.
On farming activities, the chief minister said, “Products like areca nut, beetle leaf and broom sticks will be allowed to transport to different markets with restriction, and transportation outside the state will not be allowed.”