States »EasPosted at: May 13 2021 11:03PM Meghalaya records highest single-day spike of 590 COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths
Shillong, May 13 (UNI) Meghalaya on Thursday recorded highest single-day surge of 591 Coronavirus cases and 18 fatalities, pushing the number of active cases to 3,276 and mounting the COVID-19 related deaths to 268, health officials said on Thursday.
On the other hand, 228 more patients have recovered from the infection taking the total number of recovered patients up to 17,582 with a recovery rate of 81.49 per cent as on date.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek termed the upward trajectory in COVID-19 cases a “matter of concern”, and urged people to adhere to strictly follow the health protocols to prevent the further spread of the contagious disease.
Meanwhile, the positivity rate and the fatality rate in the State has climbed up to 17.27per cent and 1.242 per cent with the detection of the new cases and deaths on Thursday.
“The government is prepared from the beginning to fight this war against this unknown enemy (COVID-19), but this fight is not of the government alone and the citizens of the State also play an important role by strictly following the health protocols,” Hek told UNI.
Voicing displeasure over many people venturing out of their homes without any r, the Health minister appealed to the people to cooperate with the government by not coming out of houses during the lockdown period.
With the increasing trend of Coronavirus cases, Hek said the government has decided to Community Quarantine Centres at the grassroots level in all the 12 districts up to the community level depending on the requirement.
“These Centres will cater to positive cases that are asymptomatic and who do not need serious medical attention. This will be done to unburden our hospitals, healthcare facilities and our health machinery,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director Health Services (MI), Dr. Aman War said that out of 18 deaths , 16 were reported from the East Khasi Hills district and one death each in West Jaintia Hills district and East Jaintia Hills district.
Out of the 591 new COVID-19 positive cases, the senior medical officer that 226 were in318 East Khasi Hills district , 93 in Ri-Bhoi district, 63 in West Garo Hills district, 37 in West Jaintia Hills district , 32 in South West Garo Hills district, 14 in East Jaintia Hills district, nine each in East Garo Hills district and South West Khasi Hills district, seven in West Khasi Hills district and one in South Garo Hills district.
Dr. War said 793 COVID-19 patients are currently admitted in institutional quarantine centres while 2,933 others are in home quarantine and isolation across the State.
Further, the medical officials that out of the 499 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across the state, 64 are of A category, 143 of B Category and 222 of Category C, while 70 patients are of Category D who are in Intensive Care Units at the various hospitals across the State,
With 1,121 active COVID-19 cases and 226 deaths, the East Khasi Hills district, which includes state capital Shillong, is the most worst-hit COVID-19 district in the State.
On Thursday, the State government extended the ongoing lockdown to May 24 in East Khasi Hills district to break the transmission chain, while night curfew continued throughout the State, even as entry of tourists from outside has been halted since April 23 last.
Ri-Bhoi district bordering Assam is the second most worst affected by the contagious disease with502 active cases and followed by West Garo Hills district with 352 active cases, East Jaintia Hills district with 156 , West Jaintia Hills district with 147, South West Garo Hills district with 137, West Khasi Hills district with 124 cases, South Garo Hills district with 64, East Garo Hills district with 58, North Garo Hills district with 48 and South West Khasi Hills district with 17, cases as on date.
Of the new recoveries, Dr War informed that 150 patient’s recovered in East Khasi Hills district, 32 in Ri-Bhoi district, 18 in East Jaintia Hills district, 11 in West Jaintia Hills district, six in West Khasi Hills district, five in South West Garo Hills district, three in South West Khasi Hills district, two in West Garo Hills district and one in South Garo Hills district.
Dr. War said 793 COVID-19 patients are currently admitted in institutional quarantine centres while 2,933 others are in home quarantine and isolation across the State.
Moreover, there were 134 containment zones across the State where COVID-19 positive cases were detected.
Meghalaya has so far registered 21, 576 confirmed COVID-19 cases, even as swab samples of the the 4,98, 727persons tested for COVID-19 till date4,77,151 were tested negative for the virus, while 1,17,495 persons from outside entered the State since the onset of the pandemic as on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 27,545 healthcare workers received the first dose of the vaccine and 19,261 received the second dose, 66,594 frontline workers got the first shot and 26,202 got the second jab, and 2,08,166 persons from among the general public were inoculated with the first dose and 26,802 were fully vaccinated with the second dose.
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