COVID-19: Assam crosses 1,400-mark with 124 fresh cases

(Eds: Updates with fresh inputs)

Guwahati, Jun 1 () Assam breached the 1,400-mark in COVID-19 cases with 124 people, including 30 air travellers from Kuwait, testing positive for the disease on Monday, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 1,463 in the northeastern state, up from 1,339 on Sunday.

"Alert ~ 73 new cases of #COVID19+. 30 air travellers, arrived from Kuwait. 12 Cachar, 10 Kamrup, 9 Karimganj, 7 Kokrajhar, 2 Hailakandi, 1 each from Barpeta/Nagaon/Jorhat," Sarma said in a tweet.

The residential addresses of the remaining patients are yet to be known.

A repatriation flight had, on May 29, brought 155 passengers from Kuwait to the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here under the Vande Bharat Mission.

In a series of tweets earlier in the day, Sarma said the samples of 51 people were found to be COVID-19 positive.

Of them, 14 were from Dibrugarh, 11 from Barpeta, five each from Udalguri and Charaideo, four from Dhemaji, three each from Tinsukia, Dhubri and Darrang, and one each from Sonitpur, Sivasagar and Nagaon, he said.

Of the 1,463 cases, 1,179 are active while 277 patients have recovered, four have died and three have migrated out of Assam, Sarma said.

As many as 92 patients were discharged from various hospitals during the day after they recovered from COVID-19, he said.

Of the 92 patients, 68 were discharged from two hospitals in Guwahati, 13 from Tezpur, seven from Jorhat, two from Barpeta and one each from Silchar and Dibrugarh, the minister added.

A total of 1,09,097 samples were tested for COVID-19 so far in Assam, the health department had said on Sunday night.

Assam saw a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases after interstate movement was allowed during the lockdown. It reported the highest single-day spike of 177 cases on Friday.

The government has mandated that those coming from other parts of the country would have to undergo institutional quarantine. No home quarantine will be allowed for the first seven days or till the coronavirus test reports arrive.

However, it has made certain exemptions for senior citizens and women travelling to the state alone. TR BDC ACD RC