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Assam Covid-19 positive cases touch 5, all linked to Tablighi Jamaat congregation
Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that all the five Covid-19 positive patients had taken part in the international congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi between March 13 and 15.
Four more people in Assam tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive on Wednesday, a day after the first case was reported in the most populous North-eastern state, taking the total number of infected people to five.
Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that all the five Covid-19 positive patients had taken part in the international congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi between March 13 and 15. The minister said that the number could reach double-digits after more tests results are available later on Wednesday evening.
“We have received a list of 456 people, who were present in and around Nizamuddin during the Tablighi Jamat’s congregation. The total number of people from Assam who were in Delhi stands at 547, as we have collected another 91 names locally,” the minister said.
“We have gathered that 134 people were in the area but didn’t attend the congregation, while another 68 took part but are yet to return to Assam. Our target is to locate those 347 people who have since returned home,” he added.
So far, the state government has identified and located 230 people who have come back to Assam and swab samples of 196 of them have been sent for tests. The authorities, however, are yet to locate 117 people and efforts are on to trace them.
“Most of the test results are expected by Wednesday evening, but as of now we have four new Covid-19 positive cases confirmed by the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. The total tally of Covid-19 patients in Assam is five and all of them had attended the Jamaat congregation,” said Sarma.
“We have got reports that four other persons from Assam, who are among the 68 attendees of the congregation, are yet to return to the state but have tested Covid-19 positive in Delhi,” he added.
The minister appealed to the 117 others, who are yet to be traced, to voluntarily contact healthcare authorities or call the 104 helpline number and inform about their location.
“We have entered a critical stage as most of the 347 people who came back to Assam from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in March didn’t quarantine themselves. We have no clue how many people they might have come in contact with since their return,” he said.
A 52-year-old man, who also attended the Jamaat meet and belongs to Karimganj district in the Barak valley, is Assam’s first Covid-19 positive case, as test results confirmed on Tuesday. He has been admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital after he returned to Guwahati from Delhi by train. Those who came in contact with him since his return have been quarantined and swab samples of five of them have been sent for tests. The authorities are keeping a close watch on Assam’s zero patient’s health, as he also suffers from cancer and diabetes.
Of the 386 fresh Covid-19 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, 154 have been traced to the Jamaat meet in March.
