GUWAHATI, May 21 - Twentytwo more positive cases today took the novel coronavirus tally in the State to 210.
On the other hand, six patients � four from Silchar Medical College & Hospital and two from MMCH in the city � were discharged today, taking the total number of discharged patients to 54.
Meanwhile, the source of infection of nine COVID-19 positive cases in the State is still not known, leaving the health department guessing.
�We are not able to establish the background of the cases. There is no clear conclusion... We only can keep guessing,� Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a media briefing today.
Of these nine cases, four each are in Kamrup Metro and Bongaigaon districts and the rest one is from Kamrup district.
Sarma said 112 of the 188 cases detected till Wednesday had travel history, while 36 were connected to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation and 32 others � which included those in the city�s potato godown case � were detected following contact tracing of positive persons.
The current doubling rate of the COVID-19 cases in the State is six days. It took 27 days to reach 40 from 20 cases, and the cases jumped from 40 to 80 in 13 days.
The minister said the State government was ramping up its testing facilities and as on date 1,000-1,200 tests are being done in the seven labs daily. The number of tests conducted in the State till today is 40,033.
The community surveillance programme has scanned 21,489 villages so far and health workers have detected only 20,832 fever cases, which, the minister said, was a good sign as normally there are 10-15 fever cases in every village during this season.
�The number of ILI (influenza-like illness) cases detected in the villages is 5,165, SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) 219 and malaria eight. One hundred and seven suspected persons have been recommended quarantine.
However, sample tests of 4,000 villagers have been negative which is a big relief and an indicator that the virus has not spread to the villages,� the minister said.
Meanwhile, three areas in Guwahati � BBCI staff colony, Regional Dental College Girls Hostel and Amiyo Nagar � were freed from the containment zone tag.
However, an area in Gopal Nagar at Noonmati was declared a containment zone after a laboratory technician of the MMCH who resides there tested positive for COVID-19.
