Panaji:After the new COVID-19 strain reported in UK, State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday said that RTPCR testing of 979 passengers who came after December 9 to the state is currently going on.
Talking to www.goanewshub.com from Mumbai where he has gone for his own medical check up, Rane said that state government has decided to designate ESI hospital for the purpose of keeping all the patients, who have tested positive for COVID-19 infection after their arrival from UK.
“As per the guidelines RTPCR testing of 979 passengers who came after December 9 is going on,” he said.
Rane said that nine passengers were initially found positive for COVID-19 infection after their arrival from UK, while two more subsequently approached after being symptomatic and have tested positive.
The samples of these patients have been sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune, he said.
The minister said that it is proposed to keep these patients at ESI hospital in Margao in South Goa as “all tested positive after arrival from UK are supposed to be kept in separate institutional isolation.”
Meanwhile, a senior Directorate of Health Services official said that the department would ask for sanction of more one lakh RTPCR kits from the state government to tide over the possible shortage.
He said that the state government has to be prepared for mass testing, if time comes.
