Nagaland health and family welfare minister Pangnyu Phom on Thursday urged Union health minister Harsh Vardhan to set up a designated laboratory in Nagaland to test samples for COVID-19.
During a video conferencing at Kohima on Thursday, Phom told the Union health minister that there is no designated laboratory in Nagaland for COVID-19 testing.
He urged Vardhan to set up such a laboratory at Naga Hospital Authority, Kohima, at the earliest.
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Union minister Vardhan was also apprised of the state’s preparedness during the video conferencing.
During the video conferencing with all the state health ministers and other senior officials, Vardhan on Thursday had discussions on the situation and the health preparedness to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Phom said the consignment of PPE, N-95 masks and other logistics for the state are stuck at various places like Delhi border, Haryana, Chennai, and Maharashtra which need to be transported to the state immediately.
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He said the state has been actively continuing surveillance for contact tracing and imposition of strict home quarantine.
So far, he said, 2192 individuals, who have entered Nagaland in the last two-three weeks, are presently under surveillance.
He said “dedicated hospitals” have been established at Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung while isolation wards have been set up in the remaining eight district hospitals of the state.
Designated quarantine facilities have been set up in all the districts with provision for expansion if situation demands, Phom said.
He said eight blood samples were sent for testing out of which five tested negative and results of three cases are awaited.