OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh registered its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as 329 more people tested positive for the infection. A 55-year-old Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) succumbed to the infection, taking the State's coronavirus death toll to 15, said State Surveillance Officer, Dr Lobsang Jampa.
The new patients, including 11 security personnel and a health worker, have pushed the State's caseload to 9,332 with 2,725 active coronavirus cases. As many as 97 more people were cured of the disease and discharged from hospitals, taking the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients in the State to 70.63 per cent. Altogether 6,592 people have been cured of the disease so far.
The State had registered its previous highest single-day spike of 289 coronavirus cases on September 24.
"The DFO, who was suffering from liver cancer, died due to shock following upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He was admitted to a hospital on September 27 and had tested positive for COVID-19. Among the new patients are nine Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel and three Army men besdies four prisoners in the West Siang District Jail and a Health worker in Lower Subansiri also contracted the disease, " said the Health official.
Of the 329 fresh cases, 117 were reported from the Capital Complex region, 86 from Papumpare, 24 from West Siang, 21 from Lower Siang, 13 from Lohit and 12 each from Upper Subansiri and East Siang; nine from West Kameng; eight from Changlang; seven from Kurung Kumey; five from Tirap; four each from Lower Dibang Valley and Namsai; two each from Pakke Kessang, Lower Subansiri and East Kameng; and one case from Anjaw district respectively, said Dr Jampa.
The Capital Complex region — comprising the areas of Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa — has the highest number of active coronavirus cases at 1,446, followed by Papumpare (221), West Siang (145), Changlang (130) and East Siang (100). A total of 2,42,948 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, including 3,048 on Monday, added Dr Jampa.
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