2 persons test positive for COVID-19 in Assam, total rises to 37

A person from Goalpara and a 16-year old girl from Salmara Bongaigaon, both secondary contacts of attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam on Tuesday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The two fresh cases, which were reported after a gap of five days, took the total number of persons infected by a coronavirus in the state to 37, he said.

Of the 37, nine are active cases, the minister said.

The girl was in home quarantine when she tested positive for the disease, Sarma said.

The last COVID-19 case was reported in the state on April 23 from Dhubri.

Prior to that, two persons had tested positive in Morigaon district on April 16.

All three of them are secondary contacts of Tablighi Jamaat event attendees and had been living in quarantine.

The first man to test positive for coronavirus in the state, on March 31, is still undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. He is a cancer patient.

A person from neighbouring Nagaland is also undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

Assam has so far tested 8,117 samples in six laboratories. One person has succumbed to the disease in the state, while 27 have recovered.