4 BRTF personnel test COVID-19 positive in Arunachal; count rises to 103

Itanagar, Jun 18 () The number of novel coronavirus cases in Arunachal Pradesh has crossed the 100-mark with four Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) personnel testing positive for the infection, a senior health official said on Thursday.

The four new cases have taken the virus count in the northeastern state to 103, of which 93 are active cases and ten persons have recovered, he said.

The fresh cases have been reported from quarantine centres in Lower Dibang Valley, Namsai, Tirap and Lower Siang districts. The patients are asymptomatic and have been admitted to COVID-19 care centres of the BRTF, State Surveillance Officer, Dr L Jampa, said.

The new patients had recently returned to Arunachal Pradesh from other states, he said.

The infected person from Lower Dibang Valley had returned from Uttar Pradesh while the one from Namsai had come back from Tamil Nadu.

The new patient from Tirap had returned from Kerala while the one from Lower Siang district had come back from Chandigarh, Jampa said.

A total of three persons were discharged from COVID-19 care centres on Wednesday after their samples tested negative for the coronavirus in two consecutive tests, he said, adding they have been advised 14-days home quarantine.

Of the 93 active cases in the state, 58 are from Changlang, nine from East Siang, eight from Capital Complex comprising Itanagar and Naharlagun, four from West Kameng, three each from Lower Dibang Valley and Tirap, two each from Lohit and Namsai and one each from Longding, Lower Siang, Tawang and West Siang districts.

The first COVID-19 case in the state was reported on April 2. The person had recovered on April 16. The state had registered its second case after a gap of almost six weeks, on May 24. UPL ACD ACD