12-member team taking care of first coronavirus patient in Arunachal Pradesh

 A 12-member team of frontline health workers is providing 24X7 service to the first COVID-19 patient in Arunachal Pradesh whose ''viral load'' has been found to have decreased significantly, raising hopes of his recovery, a senior official said on Thursday. ''Viral load'' refers to the amount of virus present in a sample.

"The viral load of the patient is showing a decreasing trend after the second test and we are hopeful that the patient will recover soon," state health secretary P Parthiban said. The swab sample of the man from Medo in Lohit district was sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) at Dibrugarh in Assam for the second confirmatory test for COVID-19 which too had yielded positive result, he said.

Another sample would be sent for testing on April 14, the official said. The patient is presently kept in an isolation ward at the Zonal Hospital at Tezu, the headquarters of Lohit district. Lohit District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr S Chai Pul informed that the man is asymptomatic and doing well. "Adequate diet, sanitisation of the isolation ward and round-the-clock service is being provided by our frontline team, including two doctors, four nurses, two sanitary assistants and four multi-tasking staff (MTS)," she said. Medicine specialist Dr Anyang Modi from the district hospital at Roing in Lower Dibang valley is regularly supervising the COVID-19 patient. "It is a challenge for us that we are handling the first COVID-19 positive patient in the state," she said.

On the line of treatment, Dr Chai Pul said that adequate vitamin C has been given to the patient while no antibiotics have been prescribed as he is still asymptomatic. "Regular counselling is being done to boost his morale," the DMO said.

Members of the team attending to the patient are being trained regularly and mock drills in donning and removing headgear and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are also being conducted. The 31-year-old person from Medo had attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi on March 15 and returned home on March 18.

Swab samples of family members of the man, however, had tested negative.

Till Wednesday, a total of 188 samples have been sent for COVID-19 testing from Arunachal Pradesh of which only the 31-year-old tested positive for the infection, while the rest are negative, state Surveillance Officer (IDSP) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.