SHILLONG, July 31 - The number of active cases in the State has crossed the 600 mark today with the detection of 20 new cases in the past 24 hours.
The number of active cases in the State now stands at 603 and five persons have recovered from the infection, taking the number of cured patients to 215.
Out of the 20 new cases, East Khasi Hills district alone accounts for 19 cases, including 12 from the Indian Air Force and one from the BSF.
As part of the Government�s efforts to carry out random testing in 71 clusters of the State, the Health Department has asked each district to set up adequate number of antigen testing centres (ATCs), preferably near containment zones.
The ATC room should be air-conditioned to ensure that the preferred temperature between 2�C and 30�C can be maintained for the kits. Each ATC should have one qualified doctor for supervision, besides laboratory technicians and other support staff.
Sample collection should be done by trained personnel wearing proper PPE kits.
The Health Department also said that only nasopharyngeal swabs should be collected for testing.
