COVID-19 positive cases shoot up by 14, Dingko tests positive

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, May 31: The State’s COVID-19 positive cases rose by 14 during the last 24 hours taking the total tally to 76 and total number of active cases stands at 65 following recovery of 11 patients. 
Fourteen samples including that of former international boxer Ngangom Dingko were tested positive for COVID-19 at RIMS and JNIMS since last night till the time of filing this report.
According to a press release issued by Additional Director (Health) and COVID-19 Common Control Room spokesman Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, three young women aged 26, 21 and 19 tested positive for COVID-19 at JNIMS late last night.
The first one is a resident of Imphal East district and she returned from Delhi while the second and third are residents of Kangpokpi district and they returned from Pune recently.
A 20 year old male resident of Sekmai who too returned from Delhi recently tested positive for the contagion at RIMS last night.
Another four men tested positive late today evening. The four are from Bishnupur (2) and Senapati (2).
Further, six more individuals including Bangkok Asian Games 1998 boxing gold medallist Ngangom Dingko tested positive for COVID-19 at RIMS today.
Notably, Dingko (41) went to Delhi for medical treatment and returned by bus recently. Since his return, Dingko was staying at the quarantine centre opened at Hotel Yaiphaba, Thangal Keithel.
The 41-year-old was flown to the National capital earlier this month to undergo radiation therapy and had returned to his home State Manipur after being diagnosed with jaundice once again, reports Hindustan Times.
“He was negative when he left from Delhi but has tested positive on his return to Manipur,” the source said.
“He has been admitted to a hospital. While he was in Delhi till last week, his nurse had tested positive but he himself was negative at the time of leaving,” he added.
Singh’s scheduled radiation therapy in March was delayed because of the National lockdown and he was brought to Delhi in an air ambulance arranged by the Boxing Federation of India in the last week of April.
However, his therapy could still not be completed because of jaundice and he took an arduous 2400 km road journey back to Manipur in an ambulance.
“Perhaps he caught the infection in the ambulance. I don’t know, it could be anything. I guess all those who came in contact with him during his stay in Delhi will also have to quarantine and get tested,” the source said.
Singh has been battling ill-health for a number of years now, starting with the liver cancer, for which he is being treated since 2017. In between, he has also suffered from jaundice.
The swashbuckling former bantamweight boxer won the Asian Games gold in the 1998 edition in Bangkok.
He won the Arjuna award in 1998 and was bestowed the Nation’s fourth highest civilian honour -- the Padma Shri -- in 2013.
A maverick, who inspired the likes of six-time world champion MC Mary Kom, Singh is employed with the Indian Navy and also worked as a coach before ill-health confined him to his home.
Of the six people who tested positive at RIMS today, three are males and the remaining two are females. Three of them are residents of Ukhrul district while one belongs to Noney district and he came back from Chennai.
The sixth sample which has been tested positive for COVID-19 is a resident of Sekmai and he returned from Chennai some days back.
The three COVID-19 positive people of Ukhrul district came back from Mumbai, Chandigarh and Delhi.
All the 14 people who have been tested positive have been taken into the COVID care facilities of RIMS and JNIMS.
Meanwhile, two COVID-19 patients who have been undergoing treatment at JNIMS since two weeks back tested negative today. As such, due procedure has been initiated for their discharge.
The two belong to Kamjong and Churachandpur districts. The patient from Kamjong was a nurse working at Kolkata and was among those who returned to the State by bus.
Further, two residents of Thoubal districts who have been undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at RIMS too tested negative today, and they have been discharged.
Of the two, one is a woman who serves as a Constable in Delhi Police.
With four new recoveries recorded today, the total number of people who have  recovered from COVID-19 has reached 11.