48 fresh COVID-19 cases in Assam; tally 1,561

Guwahati, Jun 3 () As many as 48 fresh COVID-19 cases have been reported in Assam, taking the state's tally to 1,561 on Wednesday, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Of the 48 new patients, 13 are from Biswanath district, nine from West Karbi Anglong, seven from Karimganj, five from Sivasagar, four from Hojai, one from Cachar while the addresses of nine persons are yet to be ascertained, he said.

The 48 fresh cases were detected late on Tuesday night.

Twenty-eight fresh cases were reported earlier on Tuesday, taking the day's count to 76, the minister said, adding they included people who had undertaken air travel.

Of the 28 patients, 12 are from Nagaon district, 10 from Golaghat and one from Jorhat, while the addresses of the remaining persons are yet to be ascertained.

Of the 1,561 cases, 1,217 are active, while 337 people have recovered, four have died and three have migrated, Sarma said.

Fifty-three patients were discharged from hospitals on Tuesday after they recovered from the disease, he said.

Eighteen were released in Silchar, 12 in Golaghat, 19 in Guwahati, two in Barpeta and one each in Dhemaji and Diphu, the minister said.

Meanwhile, a repatriation flight carrying 37 passengers from Russia under the Vande Bharat Mission landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati well past midnight, an Airport Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said.

Earlier, 30 of the 155 passengers brought to Assam in a repatriation flight from Kuwait on May 29 had tested positive for COVID-19.

Altogether, 64 air travellers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus so far since the resumption of flight operations on May 25.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has, meanwhile, approved the Defence Research Laboratory (DRL), Tezpur as an authorised COVID-19 testing centre.

Assam already has seven laboratories where samples are being tested and the DRL will be its eighth testing facility. Some samples are also being outsourced to laboratories outside the state.

The minister had earlier said that the state government's aim in June will be to reduce institutional quarantine and increase sample testing.

The number of cases in Assam has witnessed a steep increase since inter-state movement was allowed.

Assam has so far tested 1,20,375 samples with 1,561 testing positive, 1,11,229 found negative and the remaining results awaited, according to the daily bulletin issued by the state Health and Family Welfare Department. DG ACD DV DV