Eight persons died due to COVID-19 related complications in Assam on July 10. This was the highest number of single-day casualties due to the disease in the state so far.
With the deaths reported on July 10, the overall toll in Assam has climbed to 35, with the virus claiming its first non-symptomatic patient, who is also the first police personnel to die of COVID-19 in the state.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed through a tweet that Hareswar Nath (53), a non-symptomatic patient with no co-morbidities, succumbed to COVID-19 at IIT-G COVID Care Centre.
“His oxygen levels plummeted to 90 within hours and he collapsed,” the minister added.
Nath was a havildar of the 16 IRBn and became the first police personnel to lose the battle against COVID-19 in the state.
The other seven deaths of the day were reported from the ICU of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati.
Altogether 21 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the state in the last four days, including on July 10, taking the overall toll to 35.
The overall COVID-19 tally in the state has climbed to 14,600 with detection of 568 new cases in the last 24 hours, out of which 355 were from Guwahati. The number of recovered patients increased to 9147.
As many as 19 inmates of Guwahati Central Jail have also tested positive for the virus, while peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who is also held in the same prison, has tested negative twice for the virus.
Two of his associates, Bitu Sonowal and Dharjya Konwar, had tested positive for COVID-19 two days back and are already undergoing treatment.
Among the jail inmates testing positive is former Bodo militant leader Ranjan Daimary.
A number of COVID-19 cases have also been reported from different private hospitals in Guwahati, increasing the further spread of the virus in the city.
Meanwhile, the Kamrup Metro administration on July 10 held a meeting with citizen committees of the city to take their views on the ongoing lockdown, which ends on July 12.
Participants opined that extension of the lockdown could be needed to check the spread of the infection in the city.
They, however, requested the administration to ensure availability of essential commodities, medicines, fruits and vegetables.
They also urged the government for some form of assistance to the daily-wage earners and poorer sections of people.
Principal Secretary for Health, Sameer Sinha, who was present at the meeting along with other top officials, said the views will be conveyed to the chief minister and the health minister.
