Assam reports 81 new cases of COVID-19; total rises to 2,324

Assam reported 81 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the total tally in the state to 2,324, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The fresh patients, among whom were four had returned to the state recently by air, were reported from 11 districts with Hojai detecting the highest 40 cases, he said.

Nine cases were reported from Dhemaji, seven each from Barpeta and Nagaon, four from Biswanath, three from Sonitpur, two each from Karbi Anglong and Tinsukia, and one each from Morigaon, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur.

In all, 70 people who returned to the state by air since flight operations resumed on May 25 have tested positive. Among them were 30 people who came back from Kuwait.

There are 1,808 active cases in the state at present while 509 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, four have died and three migrated to other states, Sarma said.

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The minister also visited the Sivasagar Civil Hospital to take stock of the situation, future preparedness and seek inputs from doctors and medical staff.

The number of cases in the state has seen a steep rise after inter-state movement began on May 4, with over 2,000 COVID-19 positive cases detected since then.

Sample testing facilities in the state have been increased and the Assam government's aim now was to reduce institutional quarantine, increase home isolation and further ramp up testing, Sarma said.

Assam has so far tested 1,33,029 samples for COVID-19 in seven state-run labs and some at outsourced facilities, the Health and Family Welfare Department said in its daily bulletin. 

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