Guwahati: Assam on Tuesday reported 92 COVID-19 deaths and detected 5,767 new cases, pushing the coronavirus caseload to 3,81,171, the National Health Mission bulletin said.
This is the second time that the state recorded 92 fatalities on a single day.
The same number of COVID-19 deaths had been registered in the northeastern state on May 17.
With this, the coronavirus death toll in Assam has jumped to 2,915.
Currently, there are 53,541 active cases.
The NHM said 1,347 more COVID-19 patients have died till now, but the governments Death Audit Board has not included them in the tally of deaths caused by the virus as they had other ailments too.
Out of the new cases, 624 were detected from Kamrup Metro, 528 from Cachar, 416 from Nagaon, and 364 from Kamrup Rural.
As many as 1,14,315 samples were tested for the virus on Tuesday tests and the daily positivity rate stands at 5.04 per cent.
A total of 1,03,87,419 samples have been tested in the state so far.
Altogether 4,783 have recuperated from the disease during the day and 3,23,368 have so far recovered with the recovery rate being 84,84 per cent.
The NHM further said a total of 38,97,284 doses have been administered. This includes 30,88,933 first doses and 8,08,351 second doses.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while reviewing the prevailing COVID situation in the state, directed the health department to ramp up COVID care infrastructure for children and set up Paediatric ICUs (PICU) in all the medical college and hospitals, and district hospitals.
As a part of the state governments efforts in strengthening the COVID infrastructure for children, it will set up 30 PICUs in GMCH, 20 each in Assam Medical College Hospital and Silchar Medical College Hospitals, he said.
Moreover, all other medical colleges and hospitals will get 15 PICUs each while the Mohendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital will be given 15 PICUs and all other district hospitals will be equipped with 5 PICUs each.
Depending on the requirement, some of the beds in the existing ICUs may be converted into Paediatric ICUs with the addition and improvement of certain special features, he said.
Sarma also highlighted the need for trained manpower like PICU technicians, nurses and asked the medical college authorities to start imparting training to the personnel for PICUs.
He directed the Principal Secretary Health Department to fill up existing vacancies of ICU technicians in different medical colleges.
Sarma asked the Mission Director of the National Health Mission to expedite vaccination drives across the state.
Meanwhile, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on Tuesday announced that it would provide 78 ICU beds to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
Appreciating the gesture, the chief minister termed it as a true example of social responsibility which is indeed another positive development towards making the fight against COVID-19 a mass movement.
He said that the support extended by IOCL would be a great help to the COVID-19 affected people of the state. (PTI)
