PANJIM: On Thursday eight persons were confirmed positive for COVID-19 by the Goa Medical College virology lab on Thursday. This includes the seven who had tested positive on Wednesday via the rapid tests.
On Wednesday, seven had initially tested positive via the TrueNat COVID-19 testing and were late night sent to Goa Medical College for the second RT-PCR confirmatory tests. “All those reports were confirmed positive for coronavirus,” Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said. All seven are undergoing treatment at the COVID-19 facility in Margao.
Of the seven new patients, five belong to one family — a husband, wife, their two children and granddaughter, who had returned from Solapur. The one-year-old granddaughter is the youngest coronavirus patient in Goa. The other two COVID-19 cases are of truck drivers, returning from Mumbai and Gujarat.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that contact tracing of all the seven new COVID-19 positive cases was on.
In another development, a Goan seafarer who was quarantined in Mumbai for 14 days arrived in Goa Thursday morning and tested positive for COVID-19. He had tested negative in Mumbai.
“Upon his arrival in Goa today morning, he was tested via our TrueNat testing and his initial sample has reported positive. However, his sample has been sent for a confirmatory test at the Virology Lab in GMC. In addition to this, the details of the driver who brought the seafarer into the State, have been forwarded to the government of Maharashtra for necessary action,” Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.
Later, Sawant confirmed that the GMC Lab test of the seafarer was also positive. “Despite all our efforts by doctors, police and other staff, we have eight patients positive,” Sawant said, adding that only one out of eight has shown COVID-19 symptoms.
He maintained that there was no community transmission as yet, as the patients were isolated upon arrival.
The Chief Minister also took an indirect dig at his opponents saying people were critical of the government for its decision to quarantine seafarers. “We were criticised for quarantine of seafarers but it was only done as per MHA guidelines. It was not a political decision,” Sawant said.
The Chief Minister requested the seafarers, who have been sent home to strictly follow home quarantine for 14 days and to not venture out.
NOT GREEN
– Five COVID-19 patients are of one family — a husband, wife, two children and granddaughter, returning from Solapur
– One-year-old girl is youngest coronavirus patient in Goa
– Two COVID-19 patients are truck drivers, returning from Mumbai and Gujarat
– Contact tracing of all seven patients was on
– Goan seafarer who was quarantined in Mumbai for 14 days also tested positive
Action against pathology staff
Upset by the leakage of a confidential report from the GMC pathology laboratory for COVID-19, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that action would be uninitiated against the staffer concerned.
“The identity of COVID patients cannot be revealed. I warn the Pathology Department against such misadventure in future of leaking report results,” he said.
Sawant added, “Enquiry will be conducted and action will be initiated against the erring staff.”
