Guwahati: Meghalaya has registered 6 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, as returnees from Maharashtra, Bangalore, West, Bengal and Chennai tested positive. The tally has now risen to 27 Covid-19 cases, with 1 death reported so far.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who alerted about this development, stated that 3 of the positive persons hail from South West Garo Hills district, and 1 each hails from the West Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills, and West Khasi Hills districts.
It is pertinent to mention here that Meghalaya reported its first case on April 13, 2020. A complete curfew was also clamped in Shillong owing to the virus spread, bringing in a complete halt to activities in the capital.
Gradually, 12 more people -- the late index patient's relatives, employees, and friends -- were tested positive in quick succession, taking the tally of cases in the state to 13. After a prolonged period of treatment, the last of the patients of this phase, a woman, recovered from the respiratory illness and Meghalaya was officially declared "corona free". However, the joy was short lived as Meghalaya again reported a new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case on May 19, a day after 12th and the last patient of the first cycle in the state recovered from the disease.
Since then, a steady stream of cases have been detected in the state with the coming of citizens who were stuck in other Indian states amid the lockdown. While infection rates from the virus have begun to fall in many countries, in India they are still rising sharply, and epidemiologists warn a peak is yet to come.
Alarmingly, the number of coronavirus cases in India reached 1.65 lakh on Friday, as 7,466 fresh cases of the virus were reported in 24 hours, its biggest jump so far. India has recorded 4,706 COVID-19 deaths so far, making it the ninth worst affected country in the world. Significantly, the nation has even passed China, where the virus is first believed to have originated.
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