Shillong: A doctor, who was till now the lone COVID-19 patient in Meghalaya, died on Wednesday morning while six members of his family, including his wife, tested positive for the disease, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.
Dr John L Sailo Ryntathiang, the 69-year-old founder of Bethany Hospitals, died at 2.45 am in the morning, a family member told PTI. He had tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday evening.
"I am saddened to inform that the first #COVID19 positive patient in Meghalaya passed away this morning at 2.45 am. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace," the chief minister tweeted.
"Of the 68 tested so far, 6 have come out positive who are all family members & helpers of the of the first #Covid-19 positive case. 6 other cases are being retested. All the rest of the cases are negative," Sangma said in another twitter post.
The Shillong premises of Bethany Hospitals, where Dr Sailo was admitted, and its second campus at Nongpoh in Ri Bhoi district, have been sealed and sanitised while all occupants of the two facilities have been quarantined inside the medical establishments, officials said.
The chief minister said 50 primary contacts of Dr Sailo have tested negative. "50 samples from primary contact of the first #COVID19 case in Meghalaya tested today in Guwahati Medical College & Hospital, and all tested negative," the chief minister said in another tweet.
The health authorities have traced around 2,000 people who had visited the Shillong premises of the hospital since March 22.
Dr Sailos last rites will be performed by the state health authorities as per standard WHO protocols, a senior health official said.
Although his body was supposed to be cremated first in the city and his ashes buried at his farmhouse in Nongpoh in Ri-Bhoi district, village authorities have objected to it.
Panic stricken residents of Nongpoh adopted a resolution not to allow the burial to take place, citing safety issues.
Meanwhile, Dr Sailos son-in-law Capt Wungthingthing S Arthur on Wednesday claimed that his father-in-law may have contracted the virus from one of the patients at the Bethany Hospital here and urged the state government to "search and isolate" the patient.
Arthur, a pilot with Air India, was trolled on social media with his image and those of the deceased doctor after reports of him being the first carrier of the virus in the state became the talk of the town.
Six of his wifes family have already tested positive for COVID-19, he said.
"It might be pertinent that, one of the patients that Dr Sailo treated in the line of duty may be responsible for the transmission (of the virus). The search and isolation of this person is where the states energy and resources should be directed at, not to target people with or without reason," he said.
Arthur returned from his official trip to the US on March 14 and reached Imphal on March 16. On March 20, he was called in by Air India to operate a flight to Rome to evacuate stranded citizens in Italy but it was operated by his colleague, he said.
The pilot said he returned to Shillong on March 24 and remained under home quarantine, and observed all sterilization and isolation protocols for 14 days before coming out of isolation on April 7.
Comments
0 comment