All family members of Tripura’s 1st COVID-19 patient test negative

Agartala: A day after the state health department placed 108 persons in quarantine, the reports of the 17 people, including the family members, who were in close contact with Tripura’s first COVID-19 patient, tested negative, informed chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

Soon after the first positive case was reported on Monday, the health department had quarantined over 108 persons, including the family members, of the COVID patient. Samples of the 17 close contacts were collected for a re-test at Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC).

Earlier on Wednesday evening, state law minister Ratan Lal Nath had informed that nine out of the 17 samples collect were found inappropriate during a test in the laboratory as the samples had materials. The samples were then recollected for test by the health staff.

Speaking in a press conference, Nath said that following the reports of the first COVID-19 positive case, a total of 39 people were placed in institutional quarantine at Udaipur, Gomati district.

“All the persons who were placed in the quarantine had no symptoms. Currently, there are 986 persons in home quarantine and 164 persons in institutional quarantine. A total of 234 samples have been collected for test, of which one tested COVID-19 positive,” Nath said.

“The close contacts of the patient which include the husband, daughter, granddaughter, mother, brother and three relatives were tested negative,” Nath added.

Meanwhile, the in-charge of the microbiology department, Tapan Majumder, said that the AGMC laboratory was accredited among the first 51 labs across the country in the first phase.

He also said that it is not necessary that if a person is found positive, the family members too will test positive. It is natural and we have seen this earlier during the case of the Manipur girl, whose family members also tested negative.

“The first positive patient has a mild infection and she will be stable. The samples will be collected again after 48 hours. Once two samples test negative, she will be released,” Majumder added.

At present, the state has over 1,000 testing kits and another 2,000 have will arrive by Friday. An order for 2,000 more kits has been placed so that random testing can be done on those having symptoms of cough, cold and fever.