Shillong, April 18: The results of 60 samples sent for test to confirm COVID-19 cases are awaited after two more people on Saturday have tested positive in the state, taking the total positive cases to ten.

“Both cases are from the house of the first patient. One is a family member and the other is a helper in the house,” he said, adding that results of 60 cases were awaited.

The patients, who have contracted the deadly virus, are either the family members or domestic helpers of Dr. John L Sailo Rynthathiang, the Director of Bethany Hospital, who succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The three-decade old Bethany Hospital is now a COVID-19 hotspot in Meghalaya.

Sangma said the condition of all the patients who have tested positive is stable as of now.

On the other hand, the Chief Minister said, “testing have been prioritise and the high risk primary contacts those who lived in close proximity and contact with the positive patient are the highest primary contacts, for which testing are being done first.”

“The next level will be other symptomatic primary contacts. These are primary contacts, who were in close proximity with the concerned individual. And third are symptomatic high risk individuals, and have visited the Bethany hospital on or after March 24 and registered with the government and these are more of individuals who met with the person directly,” the Chief Minister informed.

Informing that all asymptotic cases and asymptomatic individuals who have visited Bethany Hospital after March 24 and registered with the government are not being tested currently, Sangma said, “All those individuals should go for mandatory home quarantine for at least 14 days and in case they develop symptoms they should call the helpline number 108.”

On one of the positive case detected at Pomlakrai, a suburb area, the Chief Minister said, “The person was working in the house of index patient (first Covid19 positive) and the sample of the four high risk primary contacts and 32 other primary contacts of the person who tested positive have already been collected”.

He said that the headman of that particular village have urged all the primary contact of the new case from the area to be under strict home quarantine with support of the frontline health workers.

“Visits have been made by the health officials in the village and officials of the block have visited the village to instill confidence in the villages and the family concerned,” Sangma added.

Asked why COVID-19 patients are not admitted in the designated COVID-19 hospital, the Chief Minister said, “All the asymptomatic category A and mild symptomatic category B positive patients do not require hospitalisation. As per the protocol issued by the MoHFW they should be either in home quarantine or they can opt to be shifted to the Government designated Corona Care centre by calling 108.”

He however said that in case the patients do not have space for themselves to self isolate at home, they can avail facilities of the government.

“Existing evidence shows that 80 per cent of the positive cases across the world fall under category A and category B”, the Chief Minister said, adding that “Severe and symptomatic cases having respiratory distress, breathing difficulty requiring oxygen support fall under category C and they would be treated at the designated hospital”.

Further, he said that only severe symptomatic cases with other comorbidity conditions and requiring ventilator and ICU support is category D would be treated at designated hospitals having such facilities like the Civil Hospital, Dr. H. Gordon Roberts Hospital Care, Shillong and Nazareth Hospital.