Covid-19 cases cross 75k-mark in Assam

GUWAHATI: The number of Covid-19 positive cases in Assam crossed the 75,000-mark with Kamrup (Metro) reporting a maximum of 293 cases. To facilitate treatment of more patients, the state health department said it would add over 1,500 beds in Covid care centres in and around Guwahati.
The total number of cases in the state on Sunday stood at 75,558, of whom 53,286 have recovered, and the number of active cases is 22,087. A total of 182 people have died of the pandemic in the state, with seven more deaths reported on Saturday from across the state.
The recovery rate in Assam stood at 70.5%, while the death rate was 0.24% according to the Covid status issued by NHM Assam at 11:30 pm on Saturday.
State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a tweet said two Covid care facilities — a 40-bed facility for women and children at the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) and an 850-bed facility at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati will be functional very soon. Moreover, another 704-bed Covid care centre would be made functional at Mirza on the outskirts of the city.
“Covid care centres have helped us a great deal in providing proper care & treatment to patients. Two such facilities; a 40-bed facility for women & children at MMCH & a 850-bed facility at Nehru Stadium shall be functional very soon. Inspected both the sites today,” Himanta tweeted late on Saturday.
In another tweet, he said, “A 704-bed #COVID Care Center shall soon be functional at Mirza~ another step towards strengthening our pandemic management in every corner of Assam. Visited the site to inspect ongoing work & advised officials to ensure complete vigilance.”
The minister, in a tweet in the early hours on Sunday, said 1,057 Covid cases were detected on August 15 of the 20,805 tests done in the last 24 hours. “Our positivity rate continues to be low (today- 5.08%) which gives us confidence,” he tweeted.
According to the latest reports on Sunday evening, seven more Covid patients from Sivasagar, Cachar, Baksa, Darrang, Dibrugarh and Kokrajhar have died, Himanta said in a tweet.
In his Independence Day speech at Morigaon on Saturday, Himanta lauded the Covid warriors saying, “With the health set up that was available in Assam, the treatment of 75,000 cases would not have been possible. When we went ahead to construct one after the other medical college, many criticised us. But today, at the time of the pandemic, these medical colleges became sanjeevani. In the Covid fight, Assam is glittering with the lowest death rate and best health care among the states.”