COVID tally rises to 1,310 in Hailakandi district; swab collection under RAT to be intensified

August 9: 12 fresh COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from South Assam’s Hailakandi district on Sunday, taking the total tally to 1,310. Health authorities here disclosed that of the 12 positive cases detected on Sunday, eight cases have been detected under the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). On Saturday, 815 tests were conducted under RAT, the highest so far on a single day, with detection of 44 positive cases.

A total of 457 cases have been found positive under RAT with 230 of them without travel history. 919 persons on being cured have been released from hospitals.The number of active cases in the district is currently 371. Two COVID-19 positive patients viz., Mangoli Rani Das, 53, and Foijul Haque Barbhuiya, 65, breathed their last at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. Six deaths at SMC&H have been declared as ‘non-COVID’. Only 17 persons are currently under facility quarantine centres while 6,443 under home quarantine. Of the 15,565 swab samples taken, 13,596 turned out to be negative. Swab results of 240 persons are awaited.

Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to step up swab sample collection under RAT from Monday onwards. 40-45 mobile medical teams will fan out to different parts of the district to collect swab samples with focus primarily on market places, godowns and commercial areas. The administration has a set a target of collecting 1,500 swab samples every day.

Deputy Commissioner, Megh Nidhi Dahal has urged people to get their swab tested to prevent further spread of the disease in the community. Dahal has urged the religious leaders, community leaders, political leaders, senior citizens and people’s representatives to join hands with the administration in making Hailakandi a COVID-free district.