COVID-19: Assam records highest single-day spike in positive cases; tally reaches 1,830

GUWAHATI: With a single-day record of 269 cases, Assam's COVID-19 tally crossed the 1,800-mark on Wednesday, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Breaching the 1,600, 1,700 and 1,800 marks in a single day, the state reached the total of 1,830 cases by recording 158 new ones in the evening, 51 in the afternoon and 60 in the morning, he added.

Among the 158 new cases reported in the evening, there are two air travellers, 59 are from Dhubri, 30 from Dima Hasao, 20 from Hojai, 14 each from Nagaon and Biswanath, 10 from Dibrugarh, three from Kamrup, two each from Karimganj and Udalguri, one each from Cachar and Lakhimpur, Sarma said.

Of the 51 cases reported in the afternoon, 28 are from Dhubri, 13 from Darrang, five from Karimganj, three from Sonitpur and two from Lakhimpur.

Of the 60 new cases reported in the morning, 38 are from Dhubri, 18 from Golaghat and four from Nagaon, he added.

Dhubri recorded the highest number of 125 cases during the day and was followed by Dima Hasao (30), Hojai (20), Golaghat and Nagaon (18 each), Bishwanath (14), Darrang (13), Dibrugarh (10), Karimganj (seven), Kamrup, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur (three each), Udalguri (two) and Cachar (one).

Meanwhile, 76 patients were cured and released from various hospitals, taking the number of discharged patients in the state to 413.

Thirty-nine patients were released from Sonapur Civil Hospital, 10 from Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College Hospital, seven from Dima Hasao Civil Hospital, five each from Lakhimpur Civil Hospital and Golaghat Civil Hospital, four from Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, three from Jorhat Medical College Hospital, two from Silchar Medical College Hospital and one from Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital.

Of the 1,830 cases, 1,410 are active, while 413 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, four persons have died and three have migrated out of the state, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the third flight under the Vande Bharat Mission was scheduled to arrive at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport from Ukraine's Kiev past midnight, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said.

A repatriation flight from Russia, carrying 37 passengers, arrived past midnight and another from Kuwait with 155 passengers arrived on May 29.

Thirty of these air travellers have tested positive for COVID-19.

Altogether 66 air passengers have tested positive for the disease so far in the state since flight operations resumed on May 25.

Assam has recorded a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases since inter-state movement began, but with increased testing facilities, the state government's aim now is for reduced institutional quarantine and increased home quarantine.

Assam has so far tested 1,26,726 samples for COVID-19 with 1,830 testing positive, 1,17,650 negative and the remaining results awaited, according to the daily bulletin of the state Health and Family Welfare department.