Coronavirus: Assam has reported 11,000 cases of coronavirus to date
Guwahati:
Assam is going through a crucial phase of the coronavirus pandemic with a massive increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, said Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Assam reported his first case of COVID-19 on March 31 and, after 96 days, July 5, when the count is at 11,001, Mr. Sarma alerted the residents of Guwahati where, in the last 10 days , the city has reported 2,700 positive cases.
“Now it’s the community. Guwahati has officially entered the pandemic situation. It is getting bigger and bigger,” Sarma told reporters in Guwahati on Sunday.
A total of 4,945 cases have been detected in the state in the past 10 days, with the exception of Kamrup (metro), cases in the other 32 districts – 2,204 of them – had a travel history .
The Assam government also on Sunday ordered most departments to close their offices in the Secretary of State complex and work in field units and branches for a week after 11 employees tested positive there. for COVID-19.
Guwahati recorded its highest peak of 777 cases on Saturday, about 30% of all tests carried out. The health department had started antigen tests for faster results that yield in less than an hour as well as RT PCR tests that take three to four days. In Assam as a whole, 1,200 cases have been reported.
The city is already subject to a “strict” 14-day lockout since June 29, which will see “minimal relaxation” for four days from Monday July 6 to Friday July 10 during which only the city’s independent grocery stores will be closed. allowed to remain open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., said an official order.
Sarma said the numbers will continue to climb at the current rate until July 7. “We hope that less positive cases will start to occur from July 8-9. Current figures include the results of the antigen and the results of tests performed on or before the lock,” said Sarma.
At the state level, Assam maintained a doubling rate of 13 days for more than 10 days. There are 4,241 active cases.
More than 3,500 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Guwahati since June 15, and only 14 cases in 10,000 have tested positive in the city, sources said. The population of Guwahati is estimated at 22 90 880 inhabitants.
Mr. Sarma had declared on the evening of July 1 that the city and its periphery had approximately 1,538 beds dedicated to COVID-19 of which 987 are already occupied; On Sunday, the health department had targeted 3,000 hospital beds.
However, since the evening of July 1, an additional 1,872 cases have been detected, putting the state government in a difficult situation. What is worrying is the concentration of 1,414 cases per million in Guwahati, according to sources. Experts believe that the higher the number of cases, the higher the chances of community transmission.
Mr. Sarma has excluded the isolation of the home because he believes it would not work in Guwahati. “We will give family isolation to those who can obtain written consent from their residential societies that neighbors support on this subject. In Guwahati, family isolation may not work since the person has spread to the family and the government is unable to organize emergency medical care at home, “added Mr.
The government’s objective remains to seek more space to isolate people. About 1,500 hospital beds and an 800-bed coronavirus care center on a large open lot are almost full.
A 450-bed health center in a shopping center and around 800 beds on the IIT Guwahati campus have been made operational. Indian Railway has opened a 120-bed facility at its hospital in Guwahati. The health department plans to add 3,000 more beds by next weekend, official sources added.
