Not a single COVID patient will be turned away from Assam hospitals, asserts health minister

LAKHIMPUR: Assam's health and family welfare minister Keshab Mahanta today said that there is no shortage of hospital beds in the state as it grapples with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mahanta, who was in Lakhimpur to launch a virology lab, "There is no shortage. No patient under any circumstance in any part of Assam will have to return back from the hospital doors

Refuting reports of patients having to turn back due to a lack of doctors, he said that "all doctors have been asked to discharge their duties and have been given shifts."

Asked about the shortage of vaccines in the state, Mahanta said that vaccines cannot be bought immediately with money and the entire process is being carried out by the Centre.

The Minister also opined that vaccine shortage shall not be there from the second week of June onwards.

Mahanta also said that the state government's primary focus will be on reducing the rate of transmission.

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"We are trying to break the chain. We have placed emphasis on halting inter-district travel, curfew, social distancing. Because of this, the rate of transmission has reduced.

Assam's COVID-19 tally rose to 4,11,216 as 4,348 more people tested positive for the infection on Monday while 65 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 3,365, a National Health Mission (NHM) bulletin said.

Kamrup Metro reported the highest of 10 deaths, followed by nine in Kamrup Rural, seven in Jorhat, five in Sivasagar and four each in Cachar, Darrang and Dibrugarh districts.

The 4,348 new cases detected during the day include 467 from Kamrup Metro, Tinsukia (445), Kamrup Rural (384) and Nagaon (330).

The new cases were detected out of 1,11,586 tests conducted on Monday with the daily positivity rate at 3.90 per cent while the cumulative tests conducted in the state so far is 1,10,45,702.

Assam currently has 51,694 active COVID-19 cases while 3,54,810 patients have recovered from the disease including 5,037 on Tuesday.

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