Covid-19: Post Puja Assam records zero death but rising cases

GUWAHATI: For the first time on Tuesday night Assam recorded zero death after over six months of daily deaths due to Covid-19. But what still remains a matter of concern is the daily caseload of over 300 positive patients. The capital itself has been recording over a hundred daily cases in the last couple of days.
The last time zero death was reported on April 12 but the second wave of Covid-19 was then yet to take on an aggressive form. By the time the second wave touched its peak in the state towards May-end, the highest 92 deaths were reported twice on May 17 and May 25.
Being the gateway to the northeast, around 10,000 tests are still being carried out in greater Guwahati, the highest in the state. On Tuesday, a total of 353 cases were detected in the state, of which Kamrup (Metro) district alone contributed 152 cases. “Significantly, 74% of the new cases detected in Kamrup (Metro) on Tuesday were vaccinated people. It’s almost certain that gatherings during Durga Puja have spread the infection which was expected to come to light within seven days of the festival,” a district administrative official told TOI on Wednesday. About 13 Covid cases were reported from the city on Tuesday and they were pregnant women and children.
Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) superintendent Dr Abhijit Sarma said the severity of the disease has declined with a significant number of the population getting vaccinated but people with co-morbid conditions remain vulnerable.
“We have seen maximum Covid deaths among patients with chronic kidney disease with a combination of hypertension and diabetes. Further, cancer patients and obesity are two other comorbidities which resulted in more deaths,” said Sarma.
The number of deaths due to Covid in the state during the second wave (4,852) since April 1 this year has been four times more that the Covid fatalities reported in the first wave (1,105) from March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021. While the death rate in the second wave was 1.25%, it was merely 0.51% in the first wave.