Returnee nurse from Kolkata found positive for COVID-19
Couple admitted to RIMS from quarantine centre
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 15 2020: Now Manipur has two active cases of COVID-19 with a 21 year old nurse from Kamjong district testing positive for the virus at JNIMS today.

The nurse has since been admitted to JNIMS isolation ward.

She had recently returned to Manipur from Kolkata, where she was working as a nurse by bus.

She stayed at NIT quarantine centre on arrival and altogether six buses from Kolkata had transported the nurses from Kolkata.

The nurse is the fourth person to test positive for coronavirus in Manipur.

The third person who tested positive for the virus had also returned to Manipur from Mumbai on May 13 .

The first to test positive for the virus was a young girl from Thangmeiband on March 24 followed by another man from Lilong who tested positive on April 2 .

The first two patients have fortunately recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

On the other hand, seven people who stayed together with the COVID-19 positive man from Khurai Heikru Makhong, Imphal East in a quarantine centre would be tested for the same virus while two quarantined at Manipur College after their return from Tripura developed fever and had to be admitted at RIMS.

There is little sign of the COVID-19 positive man mingling with other people after his return from Mumbai as he was promptly taken to the quarantine centre, said a source and added that the man is still asymptomatic with no outward complications.

Tests for liver, kidney and blood sugar level all returned normal, added the source.

Nonetheless, seven people who returned from Delhi and stayed together with the COVID-19 positive man at the community quarantine centre of Jamia Halmia Aziz Girls School would be tested for the virus.

Meanwhile, two people quarantined, husband and wife, at Manipur College were taken to RIMS today as they became feverish.

The couple had reportedly returned from Tripura some days back.

However, RIMS authority refused to admit them.

They were taken in only after Health Department asked RIMS authority to admit them.

Meanwhile a man and a woman quarantined at Manipur College were sent home today on completion of their quarantine period.

The man reached Imphal from Kolkata after being delayed for some days at Guwahati on account of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The woman came from Andhra Pradesh and she too was delayed for some days at Manipur Bhavan, Delhi before reaching Imphal.

Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Y Khemchand handed over a certificate each to the man and the woman before they left the quarantine centre.

Khemchand said that 46 people including one each from Heingang, Kumbi, Langthabal and Sekmai, four from Thongju and 19 from Singjamei were quarantined at Manipur College.

It is a matter of grave concern that doctors seemed reluctant to get close to quarantined people as they (doctors) did not wear PPE, Khemchand rued.

He said that PPE should be given to quarantine centres too in addition to RIMS and JNIMS.

Observing that doctors went closer to tested people while keeping distance from who have not been tested for COVID-19, the Speaker expressed keen desire for the Health Department to extend better technical support.

Volunteers manning quarantine centres should be provided PPE.

Some PPE were purchased from market for the quarantine centre opened at Manipur College but it is not known whether the PPE have been approved by Health Department or not.

The department should look into it, Khemchand said.

For Singjamei AC, over 300 people are expected to come home from different parts of the country.

As they would not come together at one time, it would not be any problem to accommodate them in the quarantine centre on rotational basis.

Even if all of them cannot be accommodated at Manipur College, Chingamakha High School has been already cleaned for possible conversion into another quarantine centre, Khemchand added.

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