STAFF CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: At least 264 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the total caseload in the northeastern state to 21,373, a senior health official said here on Saturday.
The number of Covid-19 fatalities in the state rose to 77 with five more persons including a child, succumbed to the infection on Friday, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
A six-year-old boy from Chimpu near here, with Covid-19 positive, died at Rama Krishna Mission Hospital here, due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, while a woman (45) from Lekhi village, died at the Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH) at Chimpu during the day, due to Covid Pneumonia and Diabetes Mellitus Type-II, the official said.
A 49-year-old man from Tawang died on Friday at the Dedicate Covid Health Center (DCHC) in the district, due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, another 52 year-old man from Basar in Leparada district, died at DCH Pasighat in East Siang district on Friday due to Covid pneumonia, he said.
A man (64) from Roing in Lower Dibang Valley district, died at Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH) in Assam's Dibrugarh district on May 13. He was suffering from acute kidney injury and Dyselectrolytemia, the SSO informed.
The Capital Complex region recorded the maximum number of fresh cases at 85, followed by Changlang (37), Lower Dibang Valley (26), Dibang Valley (23), Namsai (19) Lohit (16) and Lower Subansiri at 15.
Tawang district also reported seven fresh cases, six each in West Kameng, East Kameng and Lower Siang, five in Tirap, Upper Subansiri (3), two each in Upper Siang and Kra Daadi and one each in Kurung Kumey, West Siang, Shi-Yomi, Anjaw, Pakke Kessang and Leparada district respectively.
Of the fresh cases, 226 were detected through rapid antigen tests, 26 through RT-PCR and 12 through TrueNat method, Jampa said adding, 47 people have symptoms. 223 more people cured of the disease on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 19,094.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients stands at 89.34 per cent while the active percentage stands at 10.30 and the positivity rate at 9.4 per cent, the official said. Arunachal Pradesh now has 2,202 active cases, Dr Jampa said.
The Capital Complex Region - comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas - has the highest number of active cases at 545, followed by Lower Dibang Valley (225), Changlang (171), Lower Subansiri (168), Lohit (141), Namsai (140), Tawang (115), West Kameng (110) and Papumpare at 108.
Altogether, 4,97,938 samples have been tested for Covid-19, including 2,797 on Friday, the SSO said. State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that 2,98,924 people have been inoculated since the beginning of the vaccination programme in January. The state government will launch vaccination drive for people in the age group of 18-44 years from May 17 next for which registration began on Saturday.
As many as 6,998 cases of violations of Covid appropriate behavior were reported in the state so far during the second wave of the pandemic, while the state government collected a fine of Rs 10,23,350 so far.