No cluster transmission yet: Addl Dir CCpur staring at fear of cluster spread, 39 sent for test today
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 21 2020:
Additional Director (Health) and COVID-19 Common Control Room spokesman Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang has categorically stated that there is no cluster transmission of COVID-19 in the State as yet.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Dr Sasheekumar said that all the COVID-19 positive cases in the States are people who contracted the disease outside the State and there is no cluster transmission of the disease as yet.
Notably, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has jumped to 25 in the State including 23 active cases and 16 of the active cases were reported from Churachandpur district.
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Altogether 213 individuals were tested for COVID-19 at JNIMS and RIMS today (till 6.30 pm) and all of them were found negative.
Meanwhile, the State Government after consultation with all stake holders adopted the policy of immediate discharge of persons for home quarantine if their samples test negative.
However, with sixteen Covid-19 cases on a single day, Churachandpur district is staring at the likelihood of cluster spread amongst the Chennai returnees even as the district health authority is prioritizing the test for them and dispatched 39 more samples for test at Imphal today.
The results for today's samples along with 8 others believed to be from yesterday are still awaited at 5 pm, the time when the department release their report for the day, taking the total number of samples awaiting results to 47 .
Beginning today, the Health Department has started open space collection of samples from the quarantine centres to hasten the process, and to do away with their dependence on the sole collection kiosk located at the district hospital.
They have also roped in the service of the Fire Department to sanitise the quarantine centers from where positive cases were detected yesterday.
Interestingly, a press release of the COVID-19 Control Room identified containment areas in the district as, SSPP Residential School CQC, Youth Hostel QC, Bijang QC, St Joseph's School CQC Singngat, and Hill Model School CQC Singngat.
The sealing or containment order issued by the District Magistrate yesterday covers the first three CQCs and QCs but similar orders for the two CQC at Singngat were still to be seen.
The status update on Covid-19 issued today by Dr Ngahneikim Haokip, District Surveillance Officer and spokesperson said the 15 new cases of Chennai returnees are related to the district's first case, as contact tracings have been done for the first positive case and 15 new positive cases turned out to be close contact or high risk contact of the first case.
Upon enquiring if cluster spread has been witnessed in the district, Dr Haokip said clustering of cases have been observed among the Chennai returnees as 15 of 16 positive cases in Churachandpur are from Chennai.
The other positive case detected yesterday was from Guwahati.
Contact tracing for the single case as well as from all the 15 other cases have been done and all co-passengers of the train and buses have been identified, she added.