SHILLONG: Besieged by a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, the Health department has decided to set up screening points in the two major commercial hubs of the city — Iewduh and Khyndai Lad — to conduct random testing of people from Monday.
Revealing this at a press briefing on Sunday, DHS (MI) Dr Aman War said that the decision to set up the screening points is aimed at detecting COVID-19 cases among citizens with or without symptoms.
He informed that the screening centres will be manned by dedicated health officials and staff.
Dr War said the department is yet to trace the ‘source of infection’ of over 24 persons, who had tested positive for COVID-19 recently in the state capital.
“We are yet to know the source from where the 24 cases have contracted the viral infection. Of these, 12 are from Rilbong while others are from different localities which include Umpling, Mawpat, Kenches’ Trace, Upper Laban, Jhalupara, Lawsohtun and Laitumkhrah. These cases are without any contacts and travelling history and we still cannot account from where they have got the infection,” he said.
The senior medical officer said in view of this, it was felt necessary on the need to have screening points in order to conduct random testing on people.
“Therefore, we have decided to set up these screening points at Khyndailad and Iewduh markets where dedicated team of health workers will start collecting samples of people from tomorrow (Monday). For other districts, the respective DM&HO will decide the locations,” he added.
With 82 new cases and 79 recoveries till 2 pm on Sunday, it was a day of records for Meghalaya both in terms of number of new infections and recoveries.
Twenty new cases were reported in East Khasi Hills which included three patients with influenza like illness (ILI) who tested positive after reporting to hospitals for treatment.
One of the ILI patients is a shopkeeper in Anjalee while details of the other two were being ascertained, Dr War said. ) Other cases in East Khasi Hills include two contacts of a positive case, one returnee from Punjab, five from BSF, three high risk contacts of Rilbong cases, two high risk contacts from Civil Hospital and one each from state police, armed forces and CRPF. Random testing confirmed one positive case in Lower Mawprem.
West Garo Hills reported 48 cases on Sunday including 39 from BSF. Nine persons were found positive after random testing was conducted in Tikrikilla market.
Out of the 14 new cases in Ri Bhoi, one is a returnee from Assam, eight are high risk contacts of those working in the border areas with Assam while five are high risk contacts of Rani Camp at Jirang.
Total active cases stood at 693 on Sunday of which East Khasi Hills has 383 (BSF-71, Armed Forces-70, others-242), West Garo Hills-183, Ri Bhoi-100, North Garo Hills-8, West Jaintia Hills-5, East Jaintia Hills-5, South West Garo Hills-3 West Khasi Hills-3, South Garo Hills-2 and South West Khasi Hills-1.
On the other hand, 79 persons recovered on Sunday of whom 75 were from East Khasi Hills (BSF-21, Armed Forces-3 and others-51), three from Ri Bhoi and one from West Jaintia Hills. Total recoveries stood at 675.
Dr War informed that Dr Teiborlang Rymbai from Bethany Hospital and another doctor from Shillong Civil Hospital also recovered on Sunday.
Quarantine period
He, meanwhile, clarified that people who test positive have to undergo mandatory quarantine of 14 days while “contacts” who are tested negative should be in isolation for seven days.
“Those who have been released from the quarantine centre after 14 days of isolation should not be quarantined again for another 14 days in their respective localities”, Dr War said, while adding that extended quarantine over and above 14 days will affect the mental health of such people.
