KOHIMA: The department of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday informed that the third test result of the Dimapur resident, who had tested positive for Covid-19 in Guwahati, has returned positive.
Presently, the patient is said to be stable and has been shifted from the intensive care unit to the isolation ward for further observation, secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Kesonyu Yhome informed.
Yhome added that the department received a report from the superintendent of the hospital informing that the patient had initially tested positive for Covid-19 upon admission to Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH). The department has been in touch with the hospital over the phone from day one but did not officially write to them, he said.
Principal Director of H&FW Dr. Vizolie Suokhrie said that the patient has underlying diseases and that had led to the doctors ‘to think’ that the patient was having other illness rather than the Covid-19 infection.
In that process, he said, it was ‘thought appropriate’ to refer the patient to Guwahati. According to him, the patient was in fact referred to Apollo Hospital in Guwahati.
‘But in the meantime, the patient himself had already arranged to go to GMCH. Referring him to Guwahati doesn’t mean Nagaland doctors had refused to take the patient in,’ he said.
The fourth test is ‘very likely to return on April 26.
Earlier, there have been conflicting reports regarding the COVID-19 status of the patient.