The condition of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who tested positive for COVID-19 on August 26, was declared stable after a sudden dip in oxygen level on Monday night.
The 85-year-old three-time chief minister was shifted to the dedicated Covid Care Centre at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on August 27.
“He was on oxygen for some time but the requirement is much less now. He was also given plasma therapy,” State Congress spokesperson Rhituparna Konwar said on Tuesday afternoon.
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited GMCH after doctors reported a drop in Mr Gogoi’s oxygen level.
“There was a sudden fall in oxygen saturation to 88% at around 11.30 p.m. A team of doctors supervising his health decided to give a unit of plasma with two litres of oxygen to maintain the level at 96-97%,” Dr. Sarma said.
He also said that he has been updating the former chief minister’s son and Lok Sabha member Gaurav Gogoi about his health.
Mr. Gogoi, who represents the Titabar Assembly constituency in eastern Assam, was the 13th of the State’s 126 MLAs to test positive. Two more tested positive ahead of the four-day Assembly session from August 31.
Among other prominent political leaders who tested positive in Assam were the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha member Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and the All India Mahila Congress president and former Lok Sabha member Sushmita Dev.
Till 11.30 p.m. on August 31, Assam recorded a total of 109,040 positive cases, 306 of whom died and 85,458 recovered. The positivity rate, however, increased to 7.26% from below 4% a fortnight ago.
