Itanagar: A 51-year-old man in Arunachal Pradesh has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the state’s current wave to three, a senior health official announced on Saturday.
The man had undergone a rapid antigen test at Ramakrishna Mission Hospital (RKMH) here on May 28 and was found positive for the coronavirus infection, the official said.
The state reported two cases of the new COVID-19 variant on May 27, according to State Surveillance Officer Dr. Lobsang Jampa.
These cases were detected through RT-PCR tests at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) of Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), he said.
A 34-year-old woman, who is in her 21st week of pregnancy, tested positive after she had developed COVID-like symptoms of fever and mild cough. The woman had arrived in Itanagar from Bengaluru on May 13.
The woman’s 53-year-old mother also tested positive for the infection but remained asymptomatic. The pregnant woman is currently admitted to a hospital, while her mother has been placed under isolation, the official said.
Jampa urged the public not to panic, stating that the new strain appears to be less severe than previous variants.
“The health department is closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. We are also tracing all possible contacts the two women may have had,” he added.
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He noted that a comprehensive public health advisory will be issued soon after consultation with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi.
So far, the state health department has tested four samples, of which three have been found positive, the official added.
