PANJIM: Five more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the State on Saturday, taking Goa’s tally to 20 cases, with seven recoveries and 13 active cases.
Reports of two confirmatory tests are awaited. If reports of the confirmatory tests are positive, it would take the total to 22.
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Of the five cases, two are Goans who had gone to Kolkata to deliver a barge and had returned on Friday. They tested positive on the rapid tests and later their confirmatory test showed the same result.
A 39-year-old industrial worker who was under facility quarantine in Calangute has also tested positive for COVID-19. He has been shifted to the COVID Hospital, Margao after his test reports done through a private lab tested him positive. The worker had been in facility quarantine at a hotel at Calangute along with other workers.
Another 46-year-old goods transporter was found positive for COVID-19 via rapid test. He had entered via Sawantwadi, with two more persons in car. He is native of Sangli. The other two persons have tested negative.
A 29-year old truck cleaner, accompanying a pharma goods truck, was another positive case of the day. He had come from Haridwar on May 14 and tested positive on arrival through TrueNat rapid test. His truck driver reported negative. The cleaner, who is native of Agra had a fever since May 14 and was admitted in the sub district hospital on May 15.
Rapid tests of two persons who returned from Delhi in a special train also tested positive. Their confirmatory results are awaited from the GMC lab.
Earlier in the morning three positive cases were reported from travelers from Kolkata who tested positive via TrueNat rapid tests. Later only two samples tested positive and one was negative in confirmatory tests at GMC.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane revealed these development on Saturday morning, stating that the three samples had been sent to GMC for confirmatory tests. “Seven people had gone from Goa on April 21, mostly professionals, to deliver barges to Gangasagar in Kolkata, which is a green zone,” he said.
He added that on May 3 they were taken to some other place by boat and then subsequently they reached Goa on Friday morning via Mollem check post. “They were seven who had gone to deliver the barge. They were referred to Hospicio for the swab to be taken. Out of 7, three have tested positive for COVID-19 by rapid tests,” he said.
“The three have been moved to COVID hospital Margao,” Rane added. The remaining four will continue in institutional quarantine for 14 days, he said.
Hours later, Rane confirmed that out of three, two confirmatory test conducted at GMC were positive. “The confirmatory tests conducted at GMC state that out of the three samples, two have been reported positive and one sample is reported negative. Their samples will be tested again in the next 72 hours,” he said.
All 13 positive patients have been moved to COVID Hospital Margao.
