ITANAGAR, Aug 5 - The COVID-19 recovery rate in Arunachal Pradesh has crossed the 60 per cent mark.
�As per the data made available by the State Health Department, the recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in the State now stands at 61.7 per cent,� said Chief Minister Pema Khandu at a press conference here this afternoon.
As on Tuesday, a total of 1,105 positive cases were discharged following their recovery. The State has so far recorded 1,790 positive cases, out of which 682 are active with the maximum of those being asymptomatic, Khandu added.
The Chief Minister said that the MLA Apartments at Chimpu near Itanagar are being converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, which will be made operational initially with 42 beds, by August 10. If the situation warrants, it can be turned into a 300-bed hospital. Moreover, the new apartments of officers coming up in the capital, will also be converted into a COVID Care Centre (CCC) with 100 beds, he said.
Khandu said the State Government is stressing on testing, tracing, treatment to curb the pandemic. Arunachal Pradesh stands among the top six States and the topmost in the North East in terms of per million tests done for COVID-19, he added.
The Chief Minister said that in the coming two years, the State Government would invest around Rs 400 crore to strengthen all the district hospitals.
Thanking frontline workers, including doctors, nurses, officials from the district administrations, police personnel and sanitary workers for their coordinated fight against COVID-19, Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh has fought the battle against the pandemic well. He also hailed community-based organisations, women�s, students� and youth organisations and village heads, for their cooperation with the Government.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 32 new positive cases were detected in the State and 42 patients were released after cure. Of the new cases, eight were reported from Lohit, seven from Lower Siang, four from East Siang, and three each from West Kameng and the Itanagar Capital Complex. Two cases each came from Tirap, Changlang and Yupia (Papum Pare), while one case was registered in East Kameng, according to a bulletin issued by the State Directorate of Health Services here.