AGARTALA, May 20 - Four new COVID-19 patients have been confirmed in Tripura during the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the State to 173, which is the highest in the North East region so far.
Altogether 850 samples were tested late night, out of whom four persons, who came from Chennai in a special train, were found positive. This is for the first time that four positive cases were found among those who have returned from various States in special trains during the ongoing lockdown. The majority of the COVID-19 cases in the State have been reported from two BSF battalions headquartered at Ambassa in Dhalai district.
The State administration has already identified 153 passengers who came in contact with the four new COVID-19 patients, and all of them have been sent to institutional quarantine, said Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath here today.
In Tripura so far, 17,026 samples have been sent for tests out of which 15,822 results are out. As many as 173 positive cases have been found in the course of the tests till date. As of now, 253 persons are quarantined in facility centres and 4,348 persons have been placed under home quarantine.
At present 55 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment in the GB Pant Hospital here and the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel. Though the COVID-19 graph has been increasing in Tripura, the recovery rate in the State stands at 76.86 per cent.
Tripura has 42 active cases now, the minister said, adding that the State Government has already intensified conduct of the COVID-19 tests. Nath said that the Tata Trust has provided ventilators to the State and as many as nine ventilators are now available in the dedicated COVID-19 centre in the GB Pant Hospital. Earlier, the State Government had sought help from the Tata Trust to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the State Government has also decided to use the TIDC Exhibition Centre at Hapania as a COVID Care Centre. Around 1,000 patients can be housed there. This facility is in addition to the existing COVID-19 centres at the GB Pant Hospital and the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel.
