Assam reports first Coronavirus death as confirmed cases reach 28

• A 65-year old retired Border Security Force (BSF) personnel is the first to die from Coronavirus in Assam.
• He was the only reported patient from the Hailkandi district.
• He had attended the religious congregation at Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin and also had international travel history having returned from Saudi Arabia.

Assam reported its first death due to Coronavirus in the state today, April 10. The 65-year old retired Border Security Force (BSF) personnel passed away early morning in the Hailakandi district at Silchar Medical College Hospital.

The total tally of confirmed Coronavirus patients in the state has now reached 28. The patient was the only confirmed case in the Hailkandi district.


The patient tested positive for Coronavirus on 7 April was one of the people who attended the religious congregation at Delhi’s Markaz Taglibhi Jamaat in Hazrat Nizamuddin. Prior to that, he also had international travel history having visited Saudi Arabia.

According to officials, his condition was stable, however, when his oxygen saturation started to decrease — he was shifted to the ICU for better monitoring.

Silchar’s member of parliament (MP) Rajdeep Roy said that the funeral will be conducted as per COVID-19 protocol and the details will be announced shortly.

Coronavirus cases in Assam
The total number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in Assam is now 29. According to health officials, nine cases have been reported from the Golaghat district, four each from Nalbari and Morigaon, another three from Goalpara, two from Dhubri and one each from South Salmara, Kamrup (Metro), Kampur, Lakhimpur, Cachar, and Karimganj.


Assam’s war against Coronavirus fake news
The state has been locked in a battle against fake news and misinformation during the Coronavirus pandemic. The cyber cell and police force have been working together to monitor social media and have arrested 25 people for spreading fake information so far.

Last week, fake news was spread on social media by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy — a ministry that doesn’t really exist. The Assam Police had to issue an advisory telling people that the ‘Janasanyog Government Notification’ wasn’t real, asking people to stop circulating the same on social media.

They also clarified that going forward all phone will be recorded and social media would be monitored by the authorities starting April 4.

In another incident, a local Bengali newspaper Dainik Jugasanka, was booked for carrying fake news about the state’s first Coronavirus patient. Even though he was still admitted at the Silchar Medical College Hospital, the newspaper claimed that he had been cured and discharged. However, they did not verify that the patient had not yet tested negative in the second round of testing.

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