Assam records 5,803 new Covid-19 cases, 77 deaths

GUWAHATI: Assam on Monday recorded 77 Covid-related deaths — the state’s highest number of single-day fatalities since the pandemic broke out last year. At the same time, the state registered 5,803 new cases, the highest so far, after carrying out 72,197 tests.
The Assam health department is closely monitoring the new cases detected in the last 24 hours as they may soon come to a conclusion on Covid-19 scenario reaching the peak of the second wave.
The positivity rate on Monday declined to 8.04% with testing almost double compared to Sunday. On Sunday, the positivity rate was 9.13% compared to 8.84% Saturday.
It may be noted that nearly one-fourth of the state’s total daily cases is being reported from in and around Guwahati that comes under Kamrup (Metropolitan). On Monday, 1,481 cases were detected in Kamrup (Metropolitan) alone. The latest recovery rate in the state has been 88.29%.
“After conducting almost a similar number of tests on Saturday and today (between 65,000-72,000), there is no vast difference seen on the data received on new infection and positivity. The daily cases have been less than 6,000 on both occasions. This may be an indication that Assam has almost reached the peak of the second wave. But everything will depend on the Covid appropriate behaviour of the people,” said a senior official of the health department.
The last few days have not witnessed a drastic change in the number of new cases too, which was hovering around 3,000 to 5,000, in the state. But the deadliness of the virus was felt by the doctors as the patients have been struggling to recover even after getting a negative report. This may have been a reason for the sudden increase in the number of daily deaths, which was less than 60 till last week.
“In the second wave, oxygen dependency has increased in some patients, even after testing negative. The hospital stay period has been longer. Such cases can not be discharged unless oxygen dependency decreases,” executive director, Assam National Health Mission (NHM), Dr Manoj Choudhury, told TOI on Monday, underlining the clinical observations of the second surge.
He said severity of lung infection has been observed by doctors as the reason for longer oxygen dependency and prolonged hospitalization. “Recovery of the lungs is taking time in such patients,” Choudhury said.