The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Health Minister said that a Bhutanese patient or the fourth case has tested negative twice for the COVID-19 virus and so she is out of the isolation ward in the hospital and is now in quarantine in a hotel.
The other two girls who are case number three and case number five also tested negative on Thursday.
She said this is a major sign that the girls have recovered but again another test will be done on Friday.
Lyonpo said that if the test comes negative twice in a period of 24 hours then it means they do not have the virus after which they will be put in quarantine for two weeks during which their symptoms will be checked again.
Lyonpo said that if the two girls test negative again then they will be sent to a hotel for de-isolation.
However, one friday one of the girls in the retest came out positive. But further testing on Monday showed the same gilr testing negative twice. She is now in de-isolation.
The minister said that things are going well with people praying and making good wishes.
Of the five cases found in Bhutan so far the original American tourist had already left while his partner who tested negative and recovered is staying in a hotel unable to fly out due to lack of flights.
Lyonpo said that around 3,500 are kept in quarantine in Thimphu, Paro and Phuentsholing. She said that only around 200 are in home quarantine.
Lyonpo also said that those in home quarantine had all tested negative.
The Health Minister said that with the international situation deteriorating the government is taking particular care of three categories which are old people, disabled people and people with underlying conditions or co-morbidity like blood pressure, diabetes etc.
With this in mind the minister said that the government had made plans to get back Bhutanese referral patients in consultation with the hospitals down there. She said locations to keep these patients and the doctors who will attend to them have been identified.
She said there are 23 people coming on Friday of which seven patients are coming in of which six will be able to stay in quarantine in hotels while one will be staying at Gidakom.
She said the second batch of patients will be brought in from Kolkata next time.
Lyonpo said that the list of all old people (60 and above) in 20 Dzongkhags have been compiled and another list of the sick within the old people have also been identified. She said that this in case that there is a lock down their medicines and treatment can be taken care of.
Lyonpo said a list of the disabled have also been collected working with CSOs and plans are being made to take care of them as well.
Lyonpo requested the people to not travel unnecessarily. She said that around 10,000 people had been travelling between Thimphu and Phuentsholing and other places.
