Assam reports record 5,756 fresh COVID cases, 50 more fatalities

The COVID-19 caseload in Assam mounted to 2,89,069 on Saturday as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 5,756 new cases, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission said. The death toll rose to 1,628 after 50 more people succumbed to the disease, it said.

Kamrup (Metro) reported the highest number of new fatalities at 16, followed by six in Kamrup (Rural), four each in Dibrugarh and Nalbari, two each in Barpeta, Cachar, Dhubri, Nagaon and Sonitpur and one each in Udalguri, Baksa, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar and Tinsukia.

At least 1,347 COVID-19 patients died in the state due to other ailments, the bulletin said. The new cases include 1,543 from Kamrup Metro, 484 from Kamrup (Rural), 392 from Dibrugarh and 292 from Nagaon. The fresh COVID cases were detected out of 65,140 tests conducted during the day with the positivity rate at 8.84 per cent, it said.

Altogether, 90,40,606 samples have so far been tested for COVID-19 in the state. Assam now has 36,799 active cases. At least 3,053 people were cured of the disease during the day, pushing the total number of recoveries to 2,49,295. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stands at 86.24 per cent.

Altogether, 29,99,241 people have been inoculated in Assam, with 6,55,784 of them having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state has received 50,000 more doses of 'Covishield' vaccine during the day for people in the age group of 18-44 years.

The total vaccine available for this age group is currently at 1,66,709, he added. Meanwhile, 28 more inmates in Karimganj district jail tested positive for the disease on Friday, a statement said. Six prisoners had earlier contracted the disease. The coronavirus-positive inmates have been isolated in a ward of the jail where around 300 prisoners are currently staying.

There are a few detained foreigners, including Bangladeshis, Myanmar nationals belonging to the Rohingya community, the statement said, adding that most of them were apprehended as they crossed the international border illegally. People from African countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Angola are among the inmates who are also staying at the Karimganj district jail. These foreigners were arrested as they had entered India without any valid travel documents. The district has 470 active COVID-19 cases till Friday.