Meghalaya on July 16 reported 31 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 26 from among Border Security Force (BSF) troopers.
One of the BSF troopers, who was admitted at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong, was on ventilator support.
The overall active COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya as on July 16 stands at 326, while two troopers from the BSF have recovered from the viral infection taking the total number of recoveries to 49.
Out of the 31 new cases detected on July 16, Health and Family Welfare minister Alexander Laloo Hek informed that 26 cases were from the BSF Meghalaya Frontier headquarters, an army man from Umroi Cantonment in Ri Bhoi district, and four civilians that include two returnees from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and one staff nurse at NEIGRIHMS.
Among the 26, a frontline health worker posted at the entry checkpoint in Byrnihat under Ri Bhoi district has contracted the virus.
“We have two severe cases and a BSF trooper is on a ventilator while another person is out of the ventilator,” Hek said.
Director Health Services (MI), Aman War, informed that one person has tested positive for COVID-19 during the random testing done at Umpling village adjoining the BSF Meghalaya Frontier headquarters.
“The random tests were done through an antigen test kit after the person tested positive. We have shifted the patient to Civil Hospital Shillong,” War said, adding that in order to bring more clarity whether it really was a positive case, a clinical feature test will be undertaken.
He said that random testing in the areas adjacent to the BSF Frontier Headquarter, Umpling is on.
“In one area we will be taking the random samples of 50 persons,” War said.
Furthermore, the medical official also informed that 269 contacts have been traced from the 41 persons who attended the wedding at Greenwood Resort in Khanapara.
“So far 110 persons tested, the result was negative,” he said.
