A day after the State recorded the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said almost 1,400 people tested positive in Guwahati in eight days since June 24.
The State had on Tuesday recorded 613 COVID-19 positive cases, the highest ever. Of these, 382 were from Guwahati, which has been under total lockdown from June 28 midnight.
The 14-day lockdown ends July 12 but would be reviewed within a week for possible relaxations.
“A total of 1,212 persons tested positive in Guwahati from June 24-30. If we add the 157 cases detected today, the number is close to 1,400,” Dr. Sarma told journalists on Wednesday.
“The situation in Guwahati is critical and we are closely monitoring the situation,” he said, adding that the lockdown in the city has been stricter than the earlier restrictions.
The Minister also said the State government has decided to follow the recommendations of the Indian Council for Medical Research for introducing a new testing model in Guwahati on July 3. The new model is expected to deliver test results within an hour unlike the 3-7 days the existing model takes. “The testing model named Q COVID-19 AG is a positive development for us,” he said.
