Assam sees biggest single day surge in Covid-19 cases at 159, tally breaches 1200-mark

Even as cases have surged in the state despite lockdown, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state is fighting a spirited battle against the coronavirus disease.

Updated on: May 31, 2020, 14:08:31 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Two months after detection of the first case in the state, Assam recorded 159 new Covid-19 positive cases on Saturday, taking total tally to 1,273. With this rise in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, Assam’s tally has breached 1,200-mark.

A man sleeps wearing a face mask beneath a tree by the side of a road during the coronavirus pandemic. 20 of the new cases in Assam have been traced to people who had recently travelled to the state by flights. (AP)

In the fresh addition, 20 of the new cases were traced to people who had recently travelled to the state by flights.

Even as cases have surged in the state despite lockdown, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state is fighting a spirited battle against the coronavirus disease.

“Last 90 days we fought a spirited battle against Covid-19. Seen many setting up shining examples of public service,” health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted late on Saturday night.

The state’s graph of recording Covid-19 cases reveals a rise, gradual for a month but sharp after a month.

Assam had witnessed its first positive case on March 31 when a 52-year-old cancer patient was infected with coronavirus. It took over a month, 37 days to be exact, for the figure to reach the 50-mark in the state but the tally crossed the 100 mark in the next 10 days on May 17.

The figure doubled again to reach 200 cases four days later on May 21 and it crossed 400 cases in another 4 days on May 25. It took just three days for that to double to 800 on May 28 and two days more to cross 1200 on May 30.

On Saturday, the minister is expected to inform how Assam has ramped up facilities to conduct tests of over 1 lakh samples and taking care of over 1000 active at a time when nearly 2.5 lakh people have returned back to the state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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