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Updated July 11th, 2020 at 22:59 IST

Assam's COVID-19 death toll reaches 36; tally climbs to 15,536

The patient with a history of kidney ailment was intubated and ventilated when he was admitted in the ICU of Guwahati Medical College Hospital, where he died on Saturday morning, Sarma said.

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The death toll due to COVID-19 in Assam reached 36 after a 55-year-old patient succumbed to the disease on Saturday while the infection tally in the state climbed to 15,536, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The patient with a history of kidney ailment was intubated and ventilated when he was admitted in the ICU of Guwahati Medical College Hospital, where he died on Saturday morning, Sarma said.

The total number of COVID-19 fatalities has increased to 36 and of these, 22 deaths were reported during this week.

While addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the minister said the death rate in the state was a low of 0.23 per cent as against the national rate of 2.69 per cent.

Of the total 15,536 COVID-19 cases, there are 5,650 active cases and the doubling rate of cases was now 11 days, down from the previous rate of 16 days which is "not a good sign for us", he said.

The recovery rate is, however, encouraging with 9,848 patients cured and discharged from hospitals, Sarma said.

"The state with a recovery rate of 63.39 per cent is fourth in the country after Delhi, Gujarat and West Bengal," the minister said.

The average daily positive cases ranged between 600 and 900 cases, with the state registering the highest single-day spike of 1,202 cases on July 4 and the second highest spike in the number of cases -- 936 -- was reported on Friday.

Assam has so far tested 5,25,485 samples for COVID-19 and the positivity rate is 2.96 per cent with 15,754 per million population being tested, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the third legislator in the state to be infected with the virus. He has been admitted to Tinsukia Civil Hospital, a health official said.

The other two MLAs, also from the BJP, who tested positive for the virus earlier are Patharkandi's Krishnendu Paul and Borkhetri's Narayan Deka.

All India Mahila Congress president and former Silchar MP Sushmita Dev has also tested positive for the pathogen.

NDFB leader Ranjan Daimary, jailed in connection with the 2008 serial blasts in Guwahati, was among the 54 inmates of Guwahati Central Jail who tested positive for COVID-19. He has been admitted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital, Sarma said.

Two Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti activists, jailed in connection with anti-CAA protests in December last year, tested positive for the virus on Thursday, following which the others were tested and 19, including Daimary, were found to be positive on Friday and 33 others on Saturday.

The Guwahati Central Jail and the area around it has been declared as a containment zone from Saturday until further orders by Kamrup Metropolitan district Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu. 

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Published July 11th, 2020 at 22:59 IST

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