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Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 13 (EMN): Amid fear of the possible entry of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) into the state, Health minister of Assam announced on Sunday evening that a patient from Dimapur was tested positive for the virus at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), sending many into frenzy.
Eastern Mirror reached out to some citizens of Nagaland to find out what went through their minds in the wake of the new development.
A lecturer of a college in Nagaland termed the case as "unfortunate" and "shocking" that the state government was unaware of the situation ‘despite assurance given to the citizens that it is fully prepared and well-equipped’.
He stated that "it clearly shows the negligence of the government and the health officials. "This is one case where more people need to be aware because there have been so many cases specially in cities like Kohima and Dimapur where no proper treatments have been given to citizens," he added.
A student leader was of the view that the Covid-19 could not be detected in Nagaland merely because of the fact that the state does not have advanced facilities for testing patients. He expressed concern that the patient could have posed a threat to people he had already come into contact with during his travel till his treatment at Zion Hospital in Dimapur.
Should the patient isolated himself and contacted the medical personnel after suspicion of getting infected with the virus on having developed the suspected symptoms prior to his admission in Zion Hospital, there would be less chances of spreading the infection to others, the student leader said.
He also opined that the authority was fully aware of the situation. Had not the authority been aware of the case, the patient would not have reached Guwahati with his family during the lockdown, he said.
Another citizen, who is a social activist, reacted to the statement regarding the 14 days quarantine the patient had reportedly underwent at home with no symptoms or indication of being infected.
He said "it is a case of extraordinary thing" that the patient did not develop any symptom during the 14-day quarantine. He wondered if the patient was infected by other people while observing quarantine. If the patient didn’t show any symptom even after quarantine, there is possibility of taking longer time than specified by experts, he added.
The social activists also asked whether the government is keeping a tab of all the first hand information passed on by the hospitals as an when such developments are detected as ‘social media is already infested with rumours of such cases’ before official reports from the government.
He also asserted that despite lack of a testing facility in Nagaland, the ‘government is making its best effort to ensure that the virus is not spread to the state".
"Instead of being critical, one should be appreciative and give utmost possible support to all the frontline combatants. Government should be encouraged to initiate policies and directives while we as citizens should follow the dos and don'ts that have been framed by the government," he added.