Assam’s coronavirus disease (Covid-19) tally doubled from 4,000 cases within 15 days on Tuesday, as the overall count stands at 8,407.
The state reported 613 fresh Covid-19 positive cases on Tuesday – the biggest single-day spike.
Of the new Covid-19 positive cases reported on Tuesday, 380 were from Guwahati, which along with rest of the Kamrup Metro district is under a 14-day complete lockdown since last Sunday (June 28) to rein the spike in the viral outbreak in the state’s and the north-east region’s biggest city.
“Today, 380 cases were reported in Guwahati alone and the need for caution can’t be overemphasised,” state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted around midnight on Tuesday.
Assam had reported its first Covid-19 positive case on March 31 and it took nearly two months to reach 1,000 cases on May 29. The state topped 2,000 cases on June 4 and it took another 10 days for the figure to double.
Assam has reported 12 Covid-19 related deaths till Tuesday and 5,647 patients have recovered from the viral infection at a recovery rate of 72%.
So far, the north-east’s most populous state has conducted over four lakh Covid-19 tests.
“Our aggressive and targeted testing is designed to flatten the curve by tracing all those who may be potentially infected. Continuing Herculean efforts, health department teams reached test figures of 412,214 today,” Sarma tweeted on Tuesday.
Though the viral outbreak was under check in Assam until April, the situation worsened from May 4 onwards amid the easing of lockdown restrictions and the resumption of domestic flights that led to the return of over 3.5 lakh stranded people to the state.
The state government has imposed the 14-day lockdown in the Kamrup Metro district after around three dozen Covid-19 positive cases were detected last week among people, who didn’t have any recent travel history.
However, the surge is yet to be under control in Guwahati, despite the imposition of lockdown restrictions.
Guwahati has reported 1,727 Covid-19 positive cases to date.
Earlier, the minister had said that 890 hospital beds are available for Covid-19 patients in the Kamrup Metro district and justified the imposition of lockdown because of the spike in the viral outbreak.
On Tuesday, the minister inaugurated a 250-bed facility for Covid-19 patients at Palashbari on the outskirts of Guwahati. Another 900-bed Covid-19 facility is expected to be opened soon at Khanapara in Guwahati on the Assam-Meghalaya border.
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