GUWAHATI, Sept 9 - As per a projection on the COVID-19 pandemic by the Centre, the total count of infections in the State could cross the three-lakh mark by the end of October, lest optimum preventive measures are not taken by the citizens.
The projection shared by the Centre with the Health Department further stated that the total count of infections which as on September 8 stood at around 1, 30,000 could go well past 1,80,000-mark by the end of this month, meaning that the State could report more than 50,000 infections in the next 20 days.
The figure in Guwahati, according to sources, too is expected to go several notches higher within the next two months. As on Tuesday, 378 persons have lost their lives due to the pandemic in the State.
Reacting to the projections made, a senior Health Department official told The Assam Tribune that such projections are basically meant to alert the system to be proactive towards a possible fall-out and there is no question we cannot negate it if people follow the safety guidelines both in public and otherwise.
�It is time to be alert and not panic,� he stressed.
�The people in general and the health workers can take a heart from the fact that more than one lakh COVID-19 patients have so far recovered from the infection, which in itself is an achievement� a source in the Health Department said, adding that the number of active patients is around 30,000.
The State had reported its first laboratory confirmed case of novel coronavirus on March 31.
�Aggressive testing has been the mainstay of detecting COVID-19 cases. The State has so far (September 8) conducted 25, 67,683 tests including 12, 23,749 RT-PCR and 13, 43,934 rapid antigen tests resulting in detection of 1,30,823 cases,� the source said.
At present, there are 106 COVID screening centres open for voluntary testing in Guwahati.
As far as testing per million is concerned, Assam at present stands in the sixth position in the country with 72,987 tests per million done.
