COVID-19: Assam death toll reaches 36 after one more fatality at GMCH

Guwahati: Nripen Debnath, a 55-year-old kidney patient, has become the latest COVID-19 casualty in Assam on Saturday, said the state's health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"Sad to share that Sri Nripen Debnath (55) a Covid 19 patient with a history of kidney ailment, who came intubated and ventilated, and was admitted in GMCH ICU, passed away early this morning", Sarma said in a tweet.

This death has been reported a day after Assam witnessed 8 deaths on Friday, June 8 -- the highest number of casualties registered in a single day. Notably, the first COVID-19 death among Assam Police personnel was also recorded yesterday.  The death of the man, an IRBn havildar, has left the state in shudders as he was asymptomatic and did not have any underlying conditions (or co-morbidities).  

"With a heavy heart I inform you that Shri Hareswar Nath, 53 years old, a non-symptomatic patient with no comorbidities succumbed to COVID 19 at IITG COVID care centre. His oxygen levels plummeted to 90 within hours and he collapsed", Sarma wrote in a tweet, announcing the death of the policeman.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths -- especially in locked down Guwahati -- has given rise to concerns among Assam citizens. The rate of the detections has also clambered upwards, and the total number of cases has surged beyond 15,000. As on Friday night, with the detection of 936 more COVID-19 cases, the tally rose to 15,536. In a positive sign, however, as many as 701 persons were released from hospitals across the state.

Also Watch: NewsMakers: Aabhijeet Sharma, President, APW in an Exclusive Chat with Oineetom Ojah