ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Jun 3: People have to learn to live with the pandemic as we have entered a new normal life of wearing face mask wherever we go, maintaining physical distancing and hand washing, said  State Nodal Officer (SNO) for COVID-19, Dr. L Jampa. 
Addressing reporters at planning secretary’s conference hall, secretariat here on Wednesday, Dr. Jampa said that with the un-lockdown, people should also restrict coming out from home without any reasons.
With the increasing positive cases in the state, the health department will also change the SOPs accordingly, he added.    
While informing that the infection is respiratory pandemic, Dr. Jampa requested the people to avoid discriminating against those who have tested  positive. Rather, people should encourage them for early recovery and containing its further spread, he said.
More than one thousand results are awaited and to minimize the load of RMRC, samples are being sent to New Delhi. In the first test of 147 people, all were found negative and in the second test of 363 people, 15 positive cases were reported on Monday.
“There are more chances of increase in positive cases in days to come but we are prepared to deal with it accordingly,” he said while informing that there are three layers of structure to deal with such active cases.
The first is Covid Care Centre (CCC) for asymptomatic cases, Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DHC) for those with mild symptoms with doctor’s availability and kept in isolation. The last is for serious cases who will be kept in Dedicated COVID-19 hospital in TRIHMS and the other one in Pasighat.
Due to the increase in COVID-19 positive cases in Assam, the department is sending samples to be tested in Dibrugarh, Tezpur medical college and TRIHMS for RT-PCR test, he informed. Dr. Jampa said that, looking at the minimal capacity of testing capacity by the RT-PCR, problems on the ground and stress of the people in quarantine centre, the department will take a call and make a change in SOPs in days to come.

Speaking on the issues faced by the health and district administration, he said that due to porous boundary in various check gates, people are sneaking through it. He requested people to cooperate and avoid sneaking, thus creating more problems for the entire people of the state.
While requesting people not to believe in social media fake reports, Dr. Jampa asked them to trust reports from true source.
He informed that the medical team has so far collected more than Nine Thousand swab samples for test. Among which 28 are positive but asymptomatic, he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Runi Tasung said despite the shortfall in specialist doctors, there is enough manpower to deal with the pandemic. She said that there are minimal chances in COVID-19 negative person to spread it through spit droplets.
As there is no vaccine or medicine cure for the pandemic, Tasung requested the people as well as those in institutional quarantine facility and under home quarantine to follow physical distancing, use of sanitizer and other guidelines under the SOPs.
When questioned on any compulsory re test after the completion of 14 day home quarantine, she said that there is no need of re swab test after home quarantine, if there is no sign of fever, cough etc reported by the individuals.  
“We are lucky to have asymptomatic COVID-19 cases so far. Therefore, people should not panic much on it,” she said adding that the swab testing by RT-PCR on the third day is usually done because as the viral load is high on that particular day.
She informed this while clarifying the reason behind swab testing on the third day of institutional quarantine.
Dr. Tasung also made it clear that the medical team is strictly following the guidelines issued by the health ministry. We can’t dilute the framed guidelines but we can add more strict guidelines, she added.
“According to the ministry guidelines, those who are asymptomatic should be allowed to go home. But we are not doing so and keeping the returnees from other states in institutional quarantine and after RT-PCR test comes negative, they are sent for home quarantine for 14 days,” she said. 

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List