Tripura: 12 more test 'Positive' for Coronavirus; State tally rises to 16

Agartala, May 3, 2020:

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has confirmed that altogether 12 persons from the 138 Battalion of Border Security Forces (BSF) tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the state’s tally up to 16.

Taking to Twitter earlier, Deb wrote "12 persons from 138th BSF unit Ambassa found COVID-19 positive. Total #COVID19 positive cases in Tripura stands at 16 (2 already discharged, so active cases:14)."

In the same tweet, Deb urged the people not to panic and to follow the Government prescribed guidelines. "We are working vigilantly for your safety”, he added.

The contagion was first detected among jawans in Tripura yesterday when two soldiers from the same battalion had tested positive. The suspected carrier, a head constable, hails from Sivasagar district in Assam.

On April 26, he got admitted to Dhalai district hospital with complaints of stomachache, and was referred to the GBP hospital in Agartala on May 1.

“In GBP hospital, he was admitted to the flu section and was subjected to a swab test today. His reports came positive and he has now been shifted to the COVID section for treatment”, Tripura Minister Ratan Lal Nath told reporters during a briefing yesterday.

Nath also revealed that the second patient, a BSF constable who had also tested positive was his hospital attendant in Dhalai hospital and later got admitted himself.

“The second patient the BSF constable was the hospital attendant of the first patient, but he later got admitted in the hospital and the same procedure followed”, Nath said.

On April 23, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced Tripura as a "Corona free state" with the discharge of its second COVID patient. A week earlier, the first patient had also been released from the district.

It may be recalled that the first COVID case of Tripura was reported on April 6 last when a 45-year-lady had been found exposed to the deadly contagion hailing from Tomato district of Tripura. The second case was detected during contact tracing.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more updates.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.