Arunachal reports 220 fresh COVID-19 cases, tally rises to

Itanagar, September 30 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh''s COVID-19 tally rose to 9,553 on Wednesday as 220 more people, including 11 security personnel, tested positive for the disease, an official said.

The death toll increased to 16 after a 53-year-old man succumbed to the infection while undergoing treatment at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) at Naharlagun, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

"The man was suffering from kidney-related problems and admitted to TRIHMS for dialysis. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and died on Tuesday," he said.

Of the 221 fresh cases, 96 were reported from the Capital Complex region, 20 from Upper Subansiri, 19 from West Siang, 13 from Lower Siang, 12 each from Changlang and East Siang and 10 each from Papumpare and Tirap districts.

Six new cases were also detected in Namsai, five each in Tawang and Kurung Kumey, four in Lower Subansiri, two each in Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit and one each in Longding, Pakke Kessang and Leparada, Jampa said.

"Five Assam Rifles personnel, three state policemen and one each from Indian Army, India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police are among the new patients," he said.

Five Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel, an employee of the National Disaster Response Force and a health worker also contracted the disease, Jampa said.

Barring 43, all the new patients are asymptomatic and have been shifted to COVID Care Centres, the official said.

At least 151 people were cured of the disease and discharged from hospitals on Tuesday, taking the total number of recoveries to 6,743.

The recovery rate among coronavirus patients is 70.58 per cent at present, he said.

Arunachal Pradesh now has 2,794 active coronavirus cases.

The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 1,494, followed by Papumpare at 199, West Siang at 155, Changlang at 131 and East Siang at 109, he said.

A total of 2,45,788 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far, including 2,840 on Tuesday, Jampa added.