Coronavirus stages comeback in Goa; 8 new cases found

After being free of COVID-19 for more than a month, Goa has recorded eight fresh cases, one of them a member of a ship's crew, over the last two days, said Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday.

Rane said a person who was working on a ship was found positive for the infection during a rapid test on Thursday and his sample has been sent to a lab for confirmatory test.

This comes after samples of seven people, five of them members of one family, tested positive for the disease. One of the patient is a one-year-old girl.

Rane said the crew member arrived in the state on Thursday after being quarantined in Mumbai for 14 days.

 

He tweeted Goan seafarer who was quarantined in Mumbai for 14 days arrived in Goa this morning after testing negative in Mumbai.

"Upon his arrival, he was tested via our TrueNat (rapid) testing and his initial sample has reported positive. However, his sample has been sent for a confirmatory test at the virology lab in GMC (Goa Medical College).

"In additions, details of the driver who brought the seafarer to the state, have been forwarded to the Govt of Maharashtra for necessary action, he said in another tweet.

Seven people had tested positive on Wednesday.

The seven people, including three females, have been shifted to a hospital dedicated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, Rane said.

The seven patients include five members of a family of Goan origin and their driver who had travelled to the coastal state from Mumbai, a senior health department official said.

A one-year-old girl is among the five family members who have tested positive for coronavirus, he said.

The seventh person who tested positive is a truck driver who recently arrived from Gujarat for delivering goods, the official said.

The last case of COVID-19 in Goa was reported on April 3. On May 1, Goa was declared a green zone after all the seven COVID-19 patients previously found in the state recovered from the disease.