Home quarantine reduced to 7 days; Active 9,245, Discharged 21,761, Death 77

* Fatality rate 0.25% * Discharged rate 72.5% * COVID positive rate 4.05%

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Shrinking quarantine period of discharged COVID-19 patients from 14 days to seven days and restricting financial support to only BPL families for quarantining people have marked the new notification issued by the State Health department.

A notification issued by the State Principal Secretary, Health on Friday says that "with the evolving situation and the new findings about COVID-19 disease, the department has declared to reduce home quarantine from 14 days to seven days after discharge from hospitals".

So far the rate of discharged COVID-19 patients in the State is 72.5 per cent, rate of fatality is 0.25 per cent and the rate of testing COVID positive is 4.05 per cent in the State. Till July 24, the total tally of COVID-19 positive cases in the State was 29,921, and 21,761 of them were discharged from hospitals. As many as 7.39 lakh samples have been tested for COVID-19 till July 24 in the State, 29,921 of them have tested positive for the virus. When it comes to death toll, COVID-19 patients ageing over 60 years still lead the chart. While 52 per cent of the total COVID toll in the State are aged over 60 years, 28.9 per cent are in the age group of 40-60 years.

Through the same notification, the department has also put a limit on providing essential commodities worth Rs 2,000 to families quarantining people. According to the notification, now on this benefits will be given only to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families quarantining people for COVID-19. The department has, however, authorized deputy commissioners to extend these benefits to elderly, ailing, divyangs and others, if deemed necessary, to mitigate their hardship.

In the past seven days, on an average Assam discharged 1,000 COVID-19 patients from hospitals daily. So far, Kamrup (M) has recorded the highest number of active COVID-19 cases and discharged patients in the State. While the number of active cases till July 24 was 6,059, the number of discharged patients was 6,944 in the metropolitan district. While Dibrugarh had 412 active cases and 206 discharged patients, Jorhat had 489 active cases and 305 discharged patients and Majuli had ten active cases and 21 discharged patients till July 24.

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