Arunachal Pradesh bans non-vaccinated people from entering State

ITANAGAR/AGARTALA: Following a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to allow only vaccinated people to enter the bordering State, said officials said here.

A Health official said that Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar during a virtual meeting on Wednesday told Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla that the State has been ensuring that anyone who is keen to visit Arunachal Pradesh must be vaccinated prior to their entry into the state.

Kumar informed the Bhalla that the State government has also undertaken aggressive testing for COVID-19.

Over 68 per cent of the people aged 18 years and above have received their first dose of the vaccine in the State.

The Chief Secretary also said that the State has adopted a three-prong strategy to prevent the spread of the virus, which include extensive tracking and testing, enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour and vaccination.

''The State needs an additional three lakh vaccines in a bid to achieve 100 per cent coverage of beneficiaries in the 18-plus and 45-plus age groups,'' said Kumar.

The Centre had recently deputed multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and three north-eastern States -- Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Manipur -- in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases being reported from these States. (IANS)

CORONA SPIKES WITH 399 FRESH CASES: The number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise in Arunachal Pradesh with 399 more people tested positive for the infection, said State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampaa here on Friday.

The total caseload in the northeastern state rose to 38,682, the official said. The toll tally in the frontier State increased to 185 with one more person succumbing to the disease in the past two days.

A 52-year-old lady from the Capital Complex Region died at her home in Tago Village in Lower Subansiri district on Wednesday due to acute respiratory distress syndrome with COVID Pneumonia.

The Capital Complex Region remained at the top of the list in terms of fresh cases with 109, while East Siang reported 42 new cases followed by Changlang (29), West Kameng (28), Upper Subansiri (27), Lohit (24), Longding (19), Papumpare (17), Namsai and Lower Subansiri with 13 each cases.

Altogether 12 new infections were also recorded in Kamle, eleven in West Siang, ten in Shi-Yomi, nine each in East Kameng and Tawang, five each in Siang and Lower Siang, four each in Lower Dibang Valley, Leparada and Anjaw, two each in Upper Siang and Kurung Kumey and one in Tirap district respectively.

Among the fresh cases, 378 were detected through rapid antigen tests, 8 through RT-PCR and 13 by TrueNat methods, the SSO said adding, 172 people were found symptomatic. The active cases in the land-locked State now stand stands at 3,460.

As many as 301 patients were cured of the infection on Thursday taking the total number of recoveries in the State to 35,037. The recovery rate among Coronavirus patients in the State stand at 90.58 per cent while the active percentage stands at 8.94 and the positivity rate at 7.12 per cent.

The Capital Complex Region -- comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas -- has the highest number of active cases at 776, followed by West Kameng (287), East Siang (271), Upper Subansiri (224), Lohit (218), Papumpare (207) and Tawang at 206 cases. Altogether, 8,06,388 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the State so far, including 5,599 on Thursday, said Dr Jampa.

Meanwhile, State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 6,86,047 people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine doses so far in the State since the inoculation drive began in January this year.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh logs two deaths from Coronavirus

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