Three patients recover from COVID-19 in Assam, total cured patients 12: Sarma
He said the three cured persons were released fromhospital on Saturday. The state has 34 COVID-19 cases.
One person was released from Silchar Medical Collegeand Hospital after three successive tests were negative whiletwo were released from Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital inGuwahati after their four successive tests came as negative,the minister said at a press conference here.
All the three patients will now be sent for homequarantine, the minister said.
The total cured patients in Assam now stands at 12with four released from Golaghat Civil Hospital on Friday,three from Goalpara Civil Hospital on Thursday, two fromSonapur District Hospital, two from MMCH in Guwahati and onefrom Silchar Medical Hospital on Saturday.
Currently, 21 positive persons from the state areunder treatment while another person hailing from Nagalandtested positive at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital wherehe is undergoing treatment.
Some more patients are likely to be released on Sundayand the day after, he said.
Sarma said that till Saturday 4,400 samples have beentested, 34 of these tested positive and 4199 are negativewhile 167 results are awaited.
"We were so far testing only throat sample but havenow decided to take both nasal and throat samples to detectthe virus at the initial stage", the minister said.
Assam has adopted a three-pronged strategy regardingtesting and this includes those with contact history, travelhistory and those with symptoms, he said.
"We are conducting 150 to 200 tests daily and if weget the rapid testing kits from the Centre, we plan to testthose coming to hospitals and not on the community ingeneral", he said.
There are plans to reopen from April 25, the threeMedical College and Hospitals at Guwahati, Dibrugarh andSilchar, which were turned into exclusive COVID-19 hospitals,for general patients from April 25 and then "we will conducttests on patients coming to the hospital", he said.
"Assam has broken the chain between society and thepositive patients and their contacts who have beenquarantined. We are in a comfortable and stable zone as far asthe first stage is concerned", Sarma said.
The concern is for the second stage when those from thestate stranded in other states with high cases return afterthe lockdown is lifted, he said.
"We are working on ways to tackle the situation withenhanced medical facilities to save Assam from the second waveof Corona when these people and their families return to thestate", the minister said.
Altogether 84,000 people have been quarantined in thestate with 72,874 having passed the mandatory period, he said.
Around 2,954 persons were kept in quarantine facilitiesand out of these 1442 have been released so far. 705 peoplewere quarantined and then hospitalised and of these 98 arestill in hospitals while the rest have been released, Sarmasaid.
Currently, 12,000 people are in home quarantine, headded.
"The family members of the 34 persons, who testedpositive, have to be in quarantine for a mandatory period of28 days", the minister added,
Golaghat with nine patients, Morigaon with six andDhubri, Goalpara and Nalbari with four patients each have beenidentified as Red Zones or the five hotspot districts ofAssam, while the seven other districts with positive cases arethe non-hotspot zones, he said.
The state government has deposited Rs 25,000 each tofamilies of 725 critical cancer, heart surgeries, kidney andliver transplant patients undergoing treatment outside thestate while 4,32,383 financially weak people from Assam livingin other states have called up for financial assistance totide over the lockdown and their claims are being verified.