Guwahati: Bolin Chetia, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA who represents the Sadiya constituency, has tested COVID-19 positive on Saturday, July 11, reports said. Following this, Chetia has been admitted to the Tinsukia Civil Hospital for his treatment.
Meanwhile, the health authorities of Assam have initiated the contact tracing for anyone who had come in touch with the MLA, and swab samples have also been collected from his family members. Chetia has become the third MLA from the BJP party to have tested positive for the dreaded virus, as earlier, two of his party-mates -- Krishnendu Paul and Narayan Deka -- had also tested positive for the contagion.
Subsequently, another prominent politician from the state -- Congress' Sushmita Dev -- had also tested positive for the virus strain. "My report, as signed by the Department of Microbiology, Silchar Medical College, Cachar, Assam says I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am asymptomatic as of now. I thank everyone for their concern & calls", Dev wrote in a tweet on July 8.
This current wave of COVID-19 in Assam has been the most concerning, with thousands upon thousands of cases being detected without any travel history. Several known personalities from the state -- from peasant activists to insurgent leaders -- have found themselves being infected with the viral disease. Globally, the COVID-19 has been spreading at an unprecedented rate.
At a briefing in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus offered a word of optimism, saying examples around the world have shown that even if the COVID-19 pandemic is "very intense," it can still be brought back under control. But Tedros noted that global cases of infections worldwide had more than doubled in the last six weeks.
Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 tally touched 8,20,916 with the biggest single-day increase of 27,114, the latest data from the Union Health Ministry shows. The country also witnessed 519 deaths during the period, taking the total number of death count to 22,123.