Assam reports 40 fresh coronavirus infections, 4 new fatalities

Assam's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,16,251 with 40 more people testing positive for the infection, while four fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,049, a bulletin issued by the state government's National Health Mission said on Saturday.

Four persons succumbed to the disease since Friday, taking the total death toll to 1049 with the current death rate at 0.48 per cent while 1,347 COVID positive patients have died for other reasons.

Forty new cases have been reported out of 15,429 tests conducted at a positivity rate of 0.26 per cent, it said.

Eighty two more patients recovered from COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,11,989. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state is currently 98 per cent.

Of the total 2,16,251 COVID-19 cases, currently 3,213 are active cases, it said.

The state has so far tested 60,14,286 samples for COVID-19, including both RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test.

Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced on Friday night that he shall discontinue the sharing of COVID updates which he has been doing daily since the first case in the state was reported on March 31 as life is back to pre-COVID times.

"For 270+ days, I've shared #COVID19 updates. With a positivity rate of below 0.5 per cent and considering life is back to pre-COVID times, including opening of schools and colleges, I shall discontinue the same, except for special updates", he tweeted.

Sarma further said that he has shared the updates for 270+ days, without a break, including on festival days with extraordinary support from health officials.

"I am told this is something that only Assam had done with such regularity. Thank you all for your faith which motivates", he said.