18 test -ve, no new case in 3 days

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 8

In a major relief for the health administration, at least 18 contacts of coronavirus positive cases, including family members, doctors and other healthcare workers, tested negative, according to reports of Government Medical College laboratory.

Satnam Kaur, wife of Jaswinder Singh, tested negative in the confirmatory test. Earlier, she had tested positive in the preliminary test after which the confirmatory test was conducted. A former superintending engineer (SE), Jaswinder Singh, a 65-year-old resident of the Chaatiwind area, had died two days ago. He had earlier tested positive.

The health authorities said besides the relatives of positive cases, doctors and healthcare workers, who had been under observation as they came in contact with the patients, had also tested positive. After Jaswinder Singh tested positive three days ago, no new case had been reported in the district.

Meanwhile, the health authorities also reached out to 12 Jammu and Kashmir students who had asked for permission to return as they had already completed their 14-day quarantine period.

Civil Surgeon Prabhdeep Kaur Johal met the students and provided them essential items. She said students should not worry till they were in the city as they would be taken care of properly.

The Civil Surgeon said people were coming for help in this time of crisis in different ways. She said an employee at her office, Rajesh Kumar, gifted masks, sanitisers and gloves to health staff to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.

Dr Johal said people could contribute to the cause by staying home and abiding by all government instructions. She said areas such as Jaura Fatak, where two patients who had no travel history were test positive, and the Chaatiwind area, where one case was reported, were under scanner.