Andaman and Nicobar Islands update: 14 new cases push tally of to 7,119

The COVID-19 caseload in

Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,119 as 14 more people tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Monday.

Of the new patients, two have travel history and others were detected during contact tracing, he said.

The death toll remained at 122 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.

At least 18 people were cured of the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 6,894.

The Union Territory now has 103 active cases.

The local administration has been strict to contain the spread of the disease and has adopted an approach of tracking, testing and treating, he said, adding that people arriving here from the mainland are mandatorily required to undergo COVID test.

Information, publicity and tourism secretary SK Singh urged people to cooperate with the administration to combat the spread of the virus. He appealed to them to maintain discipline by strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour.

South Andaman is the worst-affected district as it currently has 97 active cases.

"Though COVID-19 cases have come down in the last few days due to the lockdown in the South Andaman region, the administration has not let its guards down. Strict vigil is being maintained," Singh said.

Altogether, 1,27,970 people have been inoculated and 17,394 of them having received both doses of the vaccine.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted 3,90,574 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivity rate stands at 1.82 per cent, the health official said.

Instances of people violating COVID norms are still being reported from various parts of the territory and appropriate action is being taken by the law enforcing agencies, Singh added.