Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing

The 103-year-old woman, Mon Maya Ghalley, who is the oldest Covid-19 patient in the country, is recovering. She tested negative for Convid-19 on March 6, which was on the 16th day after she tested positive.

She is from Sherabling Village of Tading gewog in Samtse. She tested positive on February 18.

Although the woman didn’t have any underlying health issues, it was her age and frail body that worried health workers.

The woman’s 57-year-old daughter Sumitra Maya Ghalley told Kuensel yesterday her mother is improving daily.

“Although we are feeding her with porridge, she is trying to eat solid food like before,” she said, adding her mother doesn’t like porridge.

Mon Maya Ghalley is also able to walk with support.

Sumitra said they were really worried when their mother was given oxygen supplementation. The family still has the supplies, in case of an emergency, she said.




Sumitra also said the healthcare’s decision to keep Mon Maya Ghalley at home for treatment was the best decision.

“When we received the call initially, we were scared,” she said. Her mother, including other members of the family, who tested positive were treated at home.

“She felt at home. I felt at home. We could also provide her with whatever she asked for and all the support. It would have been difficult if she were placed in an isolation facility.”

The head of the Department of Medicine of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Dr Guru P Dhakal, who was closely monitoring the woman said that it was timely intervention by the healthcare workers that worked in the woman’s favour.

“That’s what we feel. We started anti-viral medication on time. We were able to rush the oxygen supplementation right on time, after which her condition started to improve.”

Tading gewog update 

Meanwhile, the first Covid-19 positive case in Tading was detected on February 12 from the Amochhu checkpoint, following which a 10-day lockdown was enforced on February 13.




A mass testing was done on February 27-28 and found another 102 positive cases.

The gewog was under lockdown until yesterday. Samtse dzongkhag administration has declared three chiwogs of Nyindulakha-Dangreybug, Keempagang-Pangzhing and Norjangsa-Zochhaling are yellow clusters.

Movement of people within the chiwogs have been allowed. However, no inter-chiwog movements are allowed. Transport of agricultural and livestock products will be facilitated.

Tading-Tenpaling and Thongsa-Thobchenthang chiwogs fall under the red cluster. Livestock and farming activities are allowed within the premises without mixing with the neighbours.

A further relaxation is expected in the gewog after the comorbid and symptomatic individuals of the red cluster are tested on March 14.

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