COVID-19 in Guwahati taken a pandemic form & tough days ahead: Himanta Biswa Sarma

City residents will have to adopt a new lifestyle to remain safe

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The COVID-19 has taken a pandemic form in Assam's capital city with the detection of 2,741 positive cases without any travel history in the last 10 days.

Addressing a press conference at Janata Bhawan here on Sunday afternoon Health & Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the real and toughest battle against coronavirus has started in Guwahati now. He added that the city saw the highest spike on Saturday with 782 positive cases. At least 125 people have tested COVID-19 positive through the Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) in Guwahati on Sunday, he said, adding that 30 out of every 100 RATs being conducted in the city are testing positive.

"We can no longer blame other States like Karnataka or Delhi for increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Assam. The number of people tested positive after returning to the State from outside has become very less. The people without having any travel history are tested COVID-19 positive in Guwahati. So, the virus has transmitted into the community and taken pandemic form in the city," Sarma said.

Appreciating the people of Guwahati for strictly following the ongoing lockdown, Minister Sarma said the people would have to extremely careful in their behaviour and way of life in the coming days. He said lockdown will not be a solution as it has devastating impacts on economy in the long run.

"The government will have to adopt new strategies to deal with the situation in Guwahati in the coming days. We are planning to approach nagarik committees and many other organizations to come up with new ways to flatten the COVID curve in the city. The decision on extension of lockdown will be taken on July 9 or 10 after reviewing the COVID scene in the city," the Minister said.

Minister Sarma urged the people not to believe in certain false propaganda and campaigns being launched in the social media and a few newspapers regarding COVID-19 and poor treatment facilities in Assam. "COVID-19 is serious and the people should not take it lightly. More people should come forward for testing. The government is providing the best possible facilities to patients at COVID Care Centre at Khanapara, Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH)," Sarma said. He further said that Assam has so far conducted 4,55,223 COVID tests; and barring a few microscopic instances, the rest of test reports are free from errors.

Quoting the Niti Aayog, Minister Sarma said that Assam stands in the fourth position in terms of conducting per million COVID test in the entire country. He also said that the State has so far recorded 11,001 COVID positive cases with 61.29% and 0.13 % recovery and death rates respectively. He said 25 critical COVID patients are undergoing treatment at ICU at GMCH, 5 each in MMCH and Silchar Medical College & Hospital, two in Assam Medical College & Hospital in Dibrugarh, one each at Jorhat Medical College & Hospital and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College & Hospital in Barpeta.

He further stated that while a few districts including Nagaon, Morigaon and Kamrup are recording positive cases almost daily during the last 10 days, the situation in other districts is not very alarming.

He also said that the city-based private hospitals are not coming forward to take the responsibility of COVID management citing various reasons. He, however, added that the State Government is taking over the Critical Care Hospital (a private establishment) and converting it into a COVID hospital.

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