TURA: The latest corona test for Covid-19 virus conducted on a patient from Tura has turned out to be negative giving a sigh of relief for medics and the government allaying fears of any infection, so far, in the Garo Hills region.
A male patient with a reported medical history of asthma had visited a hospital in Tura for treatment at the beginning of the week. As the patient was found to have a travel history to another state, he was deemed a suspected case and some medics in the hospital even raised an alarm about possible exposure to themselves having come into contact with him during his medical check-up.
A sample of his test was sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong, the only testing centre for Covid-19 in the state, but the results released on Thursday evening revealed he had tested negative and was free of any infection.
“Yes, the test report has come back as negative. The patient does not have the infection,” informed Health Commissioner and Secretary Sampath Kumar who is leading the state’s team in the battle against Covid-19.
Expressing concern about the widespread public reaction to any news on the disease, Mr Kumar said that unfounded fear is raising anxiety levels and this needs to be contained. He urged people not to fall prey to rumours and unsubstantiated reports.