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COVID-19 LIVE: Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rises to 4,775

15 deaths, 2,891 fresh virus cases in Assam
15 deaths, 2,891 fresh virus cases in Assam
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Published : Sep 5, 2020, 10:43 AM IST

Updated : Sep 5, 2020, 10:52 PM IST

22:48 September 05

AP logs 10,825 fresh COVID-19 cases, overall tally inches closer to five lakh mark

With more districts touching new landmarks by the day, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday inched closer to the five lakh mark in coronavirus cases as 10,825 more were added afresh in 24 hours.

After 10,830 on August 26, this is the highest addition of cases in a day in the state.

For the second day in a row, close to 12,000 COVID-19 patients got cured and discharged from hospitals, thereby bringing down the number of active cases, the latest bulletin said.

22:47 September 05

COVID-19: Delhi records highest spike in cases in 71 days; death count 4,538

Delhi recorded 2,973 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest single-day spike here in 71 days, as the tally in the city mounted to over 1.88 lakh, while the death toll climbed to 4,538, authorities said.

This is the fifth successive day in September when over 2,000 new cases have been reported in a day.

Twenty-five fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

On June 26, the city had recorded 3,460 cases, the highest single-day spike before September 5.

On Friday, 13 deaths were reported and the daily case count was 2,914. From September 1, 2 and 3, the fresh cases count stood at 2,312, 2,509 and 2,737, respectively.

The active cases tally on Saturday rose to 19,870 from 18,842 the previous day.

On June 23, the national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3947.

The death toll from COVID-19 in Delhi stood at 4513 on Friday.

The Saturday bulletin said, the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 4538 and the total number of cases climbed to 1,88,193. 

22:47 September 05

69 more COVID-19 deaths, 1,515 fresh cases in Punjab

The death toll from COVID-19 rose to 1,808 with 69 more fatalities in Punjab while the infection tally jumped to 61,527 with 1,515 new cases on Saturday, according to a medical bulletin.

22:46 September 05

Maha adds record 20,801 COVID-19 cases in day; 312 die

Maharashtra on Saturday reported its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 cases at 20,801, taking the total count of infections to 8,83,862, the state health department said.

With 312 fatalities, the cumulative toll went up to 26,276 in the state, it said.

This is the fourth consecutive day that Maharashtra has reported record number of cases in a single day.

Earlier, the state had reported the highest single-day spike of 19,218 cases on Friday.

A total of 10,801 people were discharged on Saturday, taking the number of recoveries to 6,36,574, a Health official said.

The state currently has 2,20,661 active cases.

Mumbai city reported 1,737 new cases and 33 deaths, taking its tally to 1,53,712 and the toll to 7,832, the official said. 

22:45 September 05

Bengal's COVID death toll crosses 3,500-mark; discharge rate rises to 84.86 pc

The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal crossed the 3,500-mark to reach 3,510 after 58 more people succumbed to the disease on Saturday, a bulletin released by the state health department said.

After 3,248 patients recovered from the infection, the discharge rate improved to 84.86 per cent from 84.48 per cent on Friday.

The bulletin said that 3,042 fresh cases of the contagion took the tally to 1,77,701.

The state now has 23,390 active cases.

In the last 24 hours, 45,781 samples were tested for COVID-19 in West Bengal, the bulletin said.

22:45 September 05

Haryana reports its highest one-day jump in COVID-19 deaths, cases

Haryana on Saturday reported its highest single-day jump in number of COVID-19 deaths at 22, while a record spike of 2,289 cases pushed the infection tally to 74,272, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

22:44 September 05

1,636 new coronavirus cases in MP, 30 deaths, 1,392 recoveries

Madhya Pradesh on Saturday recorded 1,636 new coronavirus cases, taking the total count in the state to 71,880, health officials said.

20:41 September 05

Kerala records biggest single day spike of 2,655 new COVID-19 cases

Kerala on Saturday reported 2,655 new COVID-19 cases, the highest ever reported in a single day, taking the infection count in the state to 84,758, while the death toll has mounted to 337 with the addition of 11 more fatalities.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said currently, 21,800 people are under treatment in the state for COVID-19, and 62,559 people have so far been cured of the disease.

Out of the fresh cases,2,433 are locally transmitted cases and the contact source in 220 cases was unknown.

20:41 September 05

1,311 new coronavirus cases in Guj, 16 deaths, 1,148 recoveries

Coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 1,03,006 on Saturday with 1,311 new patients coming to light, the state health department said.

With 16 new fatalities, the COVID-19 death toll in the state reached 3,094, it said.

At the same time, 1,148 patients were discharged, raising the number of recovered cases to 83,546, the department said in its release.

With this, the state has achieved a recovery rate of 81.11 per cent, it said.

72,751 coronavirus tests were conducted in Gujarat since Friday evening at the rate of 1,119.24 tests per day per million population, it said.

A total of 27,08,120 samples have been tested in the state so far.

Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,03,006, New cases 1,311, Death toll 3,094, Discharged 83,546, Active cases 16,366 and people tested so far 27,08,120. 

20:40 September 05

TN inches towards 4 lakh recoveries, reports 5,870 new COVID-19 cases

Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 5,870 new COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 4,57,697 and 61 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,748, while cumulative recoveries inched close to the four lakh mark.

Of the fresh infections, Chennai logged 965 and the three nearby districts of Chengelpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur together reported 689 and the remainder of the cases was scattered across other districts, a health department bulletin said.

20:39 September 05

No. of COVID-19 recoveries crosses 31L in India, case fatality rate drops to 1.73 pc

With a record 70,072 patients recuperating from COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, the total number of such recoveries surgedto31,07,223 in the country, pushing the recovery rate to 77.23 per cent, the health ministry said on Saturday, while underlining that the "test, track and treat" strategy is showing tangible results.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.73 per cent, it added.

20:33 September 05

Centre tells Maha, AP, K'taka to break chain of Covid-19 transmission

The Health Ministry on Saturday exhorted Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to focus on aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that mortalities are kept below one per cent.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka account for about 46 per cent of the active cases reported nationally in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra alone accounts for 22 per cent of all active cases reported in the last 24 hours.

These three states also account for 52 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths reported across the country in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra alone accounted for 35 per cent of all deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

The Union Home Ministry also highlighted the districts of concern in each State. In Maharashtra, Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur, Satara and Palghar were highlighted and the need for effective containment and contact tracing was emphasized.

20:05 September 05

950 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Uttarakhand today, taking the total number of cases to 23961: State Control Room COVID-19

20:05 September 05

258 more Maharashtra police personnel tested COVID-19 positive while 2 died, in the last 24 hours. Total number of positive cases in the police force rise to 16,401 including 2,789 active cases, 13,446 recoveries & 166 deaths till date: Maharashtra Police

20:04 September 05

1515 new COVID-19 positive cases and 69 deaths reported in Punjab today. Total number of cases now at 61527 and death toll is at 1808: Punjab Govt

20:03 September 05

234 new COVID-19 positive cases and 1 death reported in Chandigarh today. Total number of cases now at 5502 including 2140 active cases and 69 deaths: Health Department, Chandigarh

20:03 September 05

Tamil Nadu reported 5,870 new COVID-19 cases, 5,859 discharges and 61 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 51,583, discharges to 3,98,366 and death toll to 7,748: State Health Department

20:03 September 05

Kerala recorded 2,655 new COVID-19 cases & 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 4,459: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

20:02 September 05

Bareilly DM tests positive for COVID-19

Bareilly District Magistrate Nitish Kumar tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, an official said.

After the official was tested positive for the infection, the entry of outsiders to the DM camp office has been stopped.

"In the test report, it has emerged that Bareilly district magistrate has tested positive for COVID-19. The district magistrate has quarantined himself at his residence. Officials of the municipal corporation have sanitised the DM camp office and residence." Said Bareilly Chief Medical Officer, Dr Vineet Kumar Shukla. 

DM Kumar said on appearance of initial symptoms, he got himself tested for COVID-19, and he was found positive for the disease.

The DM has appealed to all persons who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested for COVID-19.

20:01 September 05

Karnataka adds 9,746 new COVID-19 cases, 128 deaths push toll to 6,298

Karnataka on Saturday reported 9,746 new COVID-19 cases and 128 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 3,89,232 and death toll to 6,298, the Health department said.

The day also saw a record 9,102 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Out of 9,746 fresh cases reported today, 3,093 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

As of September 5 evening, cumulatively 3,89,232 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 6,298 deaths and 2,83,298 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.

20:00 September 05

J-K sees record one-day jump of 1,251 COVID-19 cases; 15 more die

Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday recorded 1,251 COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day spike in infections, pushing the tally to 42,241, while 15 fatalities in the past 24 hours raised the death toll to 770, officials said.

This is for the third time in as many days that the number of fresh cases has crossed the 1000-mark in a 24-hour period, the officials said.

Among the new cases, 739 were from the Jammu region, while 512 from the Kashmir Valley.

Jammu district reported a maximum of 520 new cases, followed by 181 in Srinagar district, the officials said.

Jammu on Saturday became the first district in the Union Territory to report over 500 COVID-19 cases in a single day.

There are 9,547 active COVID-19 cases in the UT, while 31,924 people have recovered from the infection so far, they said.

Meanwhile, 15 people infected with the coronavirus have died in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours till 5.00 pm on Saturday, the officials said.

They said while 10 of the new fatalities took place in Jammu, five were reported from the Kashmir Valley. 

17:59 September 05

With 6,692 people testing positive for COVID, UP registers largest single-day spike

With 6,692 people testing positive for COVID-19, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported the highest single-day surge in the number of fresh cases with state capital Lucknow topping the chart with 1,006 cases.

With 81 fresh COVID-19 deaths, so far 3,843 patients have succumbed to the viral disease in the state.

The previous single-day highest spike in COVID cases, registered on August 30, was 6,233.

According to the UP government's Saturday health bulletin, the bulk of 81 18 deaths was reported from Lucknow, followed by seven deaths from Kanpur. Gorakhpur and Hardoi reported 5 deaths each. Varanasi reported 4 deaths and Ghaziabad three.

Deaths in single figures were reported from each of the 75 districts of the state, barring a few.

Allahabad reported 413 fresh COVID-19 cases followed by 362 from Kanpur. Cases were also reported from Gautam Buddh Nagar (213), Gorakhpur (206), Saharanpur (198), Varanasi (190), Shahjahanpur (184), Ghaziabad (167), Meerut (156), Pratapgarh (148), Bareilly (133), Rampur (132), Moradabad (128), Ayodhya (124), Barabanki (120), Aligarh (116), Jhansi (104).

17:58 September 05

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh tests negative for COVID, ends self-isolation

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday ended his week-long self-isolation after testing negative for COVID.

The Chief Minister had isolated himself after coming in contact with two MLAs who had later tested positive. He came in contact with the legislators in the Vidhan Sabha on August 28 during a one-day session of the House.

Captain Amarinder, who presided over a virtual high-level meeting of ministers, Congress MLAs and senior officials, disclosed during the interaction that he had got himself tested today and was found negative. 

This was the 3rd time the Chief Minister had got himself tested for Coronavirus since the outbreak of the pandemic.

17:33 September 05

Rajasthan corona count: 8 die, 718 test positive

Rajasthan on Saturday reported eight deaths due to COVID-19 and 718 fresh cases of infection, taking the total number of fatalities and positive cases in the state to 1,116 and 88,515 respectively.

Three persons died in Jaipur, two in Alwar, and one each in Dausa, Nagaur and Sikar while the maximum positive cases 136 were reported from Jaipur, according to official figures. 

Other cases were reported from Kota (103), Ajmer (77), Alwar (75), Jodhpur (52), Jhalawar and Bikaner (26 each), Jhunjhunu (22), Jaisalmer and Tonk (20 each), Sawaimadhopur (19), Pali (16), Chittorgarh (14), Nagaur and Bundi (13 each), Dholpur (10), Bharatpur, Churu, Bhilwara and Ganganagar (8 each), Barmer (7), Banswara, Sirohi and Udaipur (5 each).

A total of 71,990 COVID-19 patients have been recovered so far and the number of active cases at present is 15,409. 

17:32 September 05

Tripura reports record 691 new COVID-19 cases, seven more deaths

Tripura registered its highest single-day spike of 691 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, which pushed the tally in the northeastern state to 14,527, a health department official said.

The death toll rose to 136 after seven more people succumbed to the infection, he said.

West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, accounted for 76 of the 136 COVID-19 deaths, the official said.

The state currently has 5,887 active cases, while 8,483 people have recovered from the disease. Twenty-one patients have migrated to other states.

Tripura had reported its previous highest single-day spike of 590 COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

A total of 2,92,272 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, he added. 

17:27 September 05

District court closed after three employees test positive for COVID-19

 The Aligarh district court was closed on Saturday after its three employees tested positive for coronavirus infection, an official said.

The cases scheduled to be hard on September 5 were deferred to October 3, the official spokesperson said.

The court will review the situation and decide about the future course of action on September 7. 

15:35 September 05

Telangana minister Harish Rao tests Covid-19 positive

  • On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine, I request that all those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get Covid Test done

    — Harish Rao Thanneeru #StayHome #StaySafe (@trsharish) September 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data=" ">

Two days before the commencement of Telangana state legislature session, Finance Minister T. Harish Rao has tested positive for Covid-19.

The minister took to Twitter on Saturday to declare that he is infected with COVID. He, however, said he was "fine".

"On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine," tweeted Harish Rao.

The minister, who is the nephew of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, requested all those who came in contact with him in the last few days to isolate themselves and get COVID test done.

15:33 September 05

Union Health Ministry Introduces 'On Demand' COVID-19 Testing Without Prescription

Acting on the recommendations of the National Task Force on novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry has allowed on-demand COVID-19 testing without a prescription.

"For the first time, along with more simplified modalities, the updated guidelines provide for 'On-demand' testing in order to ensure higher levels of testing," read a release by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Individuals who wish to get tested and those undertaking travel to countries/Indian states mandating a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry can get an "on demand" test.

The ministry said that the new advisory has further simplified the testing process and given more freedom and flexibilities to the State authorities to facilitate enhanced ease of testing for the people.

"A totally new section has been added in the advisory on 'testing on demand' which for all practical purposes does away with prescription by a registered medical practitioner although state governments have the freedom to decide on simplified modalities," read the release.

There are now 1,647 testing laboratories operational which cover all states/UTs, the ministry said.

12:40 September 05

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rises to 4,775
The COVID-19 caseload in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 4,775, with 201 more people including 33 security personnel testing positive for the
virus, a senior Health Department official said on Saturday.

Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Taba Tedir has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is in home quarantine, the official said.

12:40 September 05

Pondy logs 408 new coronavirus cases, tally touches 16,566

Puducherry continued to witness an upward trend of COVID-19 infections as 408 fresh cases and 18 related deaths were added on Saturday, raising the overall tally to 16,566 in the union territory.

Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release that 18 more people including five women succumbed to the viral infection during the last 24 hours
ending 10 a.m. on Saturday.

He said 433 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals.

12:39 September 05

Gujarat Covid-19 tally at 1,01,695, toll reaches 3,078

Gujarat's corona cases rose to 1,01,695 with the addition of 1,320 cases on Friday while the toll reached 3,078 as 14 more succumbed.

During August, the state had seen 35,002 positive cases with a daily average of 1,129 cases, while in September so far, 5,260 cases have been detected with an average of 1,315 cases daily.

A total of 1,218 patients were discharged on Friday, taking the total to 82,398, while the state has 16,219 active cases, of which 92 critical patients were still on ventilator.

12:38 September 05

COVID-19 surge continues in Taj city

A record 88 fresh cases in a day have alarmed the Agra authorities, who are battling the Covid-19 infection through a multi-pronged strategy.

The district authorities have streamlined the medical infrastructure, adding beds and manpower at the S.N. Medical College, district hospital and the lone quarantine centre at the campus of the Hindustan College.

Health officials said the daily testing numbers were on the rise and testing on-demand would soon be introduced at dozens of new centres in the city.

Half a dozen private nursing homes in the city have been permitted to admit Covid-19 patients. The local S.N. Medical College has only 24 beds in the ICU. The target is to increase the number of beds to 85.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh visited the facilities on Friday. Doctors asked him to arrange for more ventilators.

More than 300 samples were collected during the three-day Sero Survey that began on Friday. A health department official said the target was to collect around 1,400 samples from different age groups.

The total number of samples collected in Agra is now 1,27,881. The number of active cases has gone up to 565. The number of recovered patients is 2,531. The tally now is 3,204 with 108 deaths. Almost 65 per cent of patients are from urban areas.

In neighbouring districts, the surge in fresh cases continues to remain alarming, particularly in Mathura and Aligarh.

12:37 September 05

1,047 new cases take J&K's COVID tally to 40,990

Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reported 1,047 new Covid-19 cases, taking the Union Territory's coronavirus tally to 40,990, while 12 deaths in the past 24 hours mounted the UT's COVID death toll to 755.

A statement issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said that of the 1,047 cases reported on Friday, 493 were from Jammu division and 554 from Kashmir division. Of the 12 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 3 are from Jammu division and 9 from Kashmir division.

So far, 31,435 people have completely recovered from the disease, and the number of active cases in J&K stands at 8,800 now, of which 3,369 are from Jammu division and 5,431 from Kashmir division.

12:36 September 05

Karnataka registers 9K more corona cases, total tally 3.79 lakh

Karnataka registered 9,280 more coronavirus cases, taking the state's tally to 3.79 lakh, even as 6,161 more patients recovered, an official said on Friday.

"Today, 9,280 new positive cases have been reported and 6,161 patients cured and discharged," said Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

Of the total 3.79 lakh cases in Karnataka, 99,101 are active. As many as 785 patients are in the ICUs.

Bengaluru continues to be the epicentre of the pandemic in the southern state, registering 2,963 more infections, increasing its tally to 1.41 lakh, of which 41,646 are active.

Mysuru accounted for 776 infections, followed by Ballari (447), Dakshina Kannada (428), Tumkur (424), Shivamogga (350), Hassan (340), and Dharwad (297).

Meanwhile, 116 more patients succumbed to the virus, increasing the death toll to 6,170.

However, on a positive note, 6,161 more patients recovered, increasing the total recoveries to 2.74 lakh in Karnataka.

12:36 September 05

COVID cases in Kerala cross 80,000

The daily number of COVID positive patients in Kerala continues to spike, taking the cases in the state to 81,716.

In a statement released on Friday by the State Health Minister K. K. Shailaja, she said there were 2,479 fresh cases, while 2,716 had recovered from Covid-19.

"At present, there were 21,268 positive cases while 60,448 have been recovered of Covid-19. In the past 24 hours, 36,310 samples were tested. Across the state, there were 1,97,937 people under observation which includes 17,194 people in various hospitals. The state has 557 hot spots," Shailaja added.

Thiruvananthapuram district continues to lead in the number of new coronavirus cases, which has been a pattern for a while now after 477 turned COVID positive.

On Friday, 11 deaths were reported taking the toll to 326.

11:50 September 05

  • On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine, I request that all those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get Covid Test done

    — Harish Rao Thanneeru #StayHome #StaySafe (@trsharish) September 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data=" ">

Telangana finance minister tests positive

Finance minister of Telangana, Harish Rao tested positive for COVID-19.  He revealed the news on his official Twitter handle.

10:36 September 05

India crosses 40 lakh COVID-19 cases; 86,432 infections reported in a day

India's COVID-19 infection tally sprinted past 40 lakh, just 13 days after it crossed 30 lakh, with a record86,432cases being reported in a day, while recoveries have surged to31,07,223 on Saturday pushing the recovery rate to 77.23 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 40,23,179, while the death toll climbed to 69,561 with1,089people succumbing to the disease ina span of 24 hours, data updated at 8 am showed.

India's COVID-19 cases jumped from 10 lakh to 20 lakh in 21 days. It took 16 more days to race past 30 lakh and 13 days more to cross the 40-lakh mark.

It took110days for the COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh while it had taken 59 days more to go past the the10-lakh post.

The COVID-19casefatality rate due to the novel coronavirus infection has further declined to 1.73 per cent.

There are 8,46,395 active cases of coronavirus infection, which is 21.04 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and went past 30 lakh on August 23.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 4,77,38,491 samples have been tested up to September 4 with 10,59,346 samples being tested on Friday.

10:33 September 05

Telangana sees over 2,500 new COVID-19 cases; 11 fatalities up toll to 877

Telangana posted 2,511 fresh coronavirus cases and 11 related deaths, taking the total infection count in the state to 1.38 lakh.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 305, followed by Rangareddy 184, Nalgonda 170 and Karimnagar 150 districts, a government bulletin said on Friday, providing data as of 8 pm on September 4. 

The cumulative recovered cases stood at 1,04,603 while 32,915 are under treatment. 

As many as 62,132 samples were tested on September 4.

Cumulatively, 16.67 lakh samples have been tested.

The samples tested per million population was 44,918, the bulletin said.

09:48 September 05

Guwahati: Fifteen more people died from coronavirus in Assam on Friday as 2,891 fresh cases surfaced, taking the number of infections to 1,21,224, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

So far, 345 people have died from the infection in Assam, the minister said, adding that the state reported its highest single-day death toll on Friday.

He said two deaths each were reported from Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Karimganj and Kokrajhar; while the rest took place in Tinsukia, Udalguri, Hojai, Nagaon, Chirang, Kamrup Metropolitan and Jorhat.

Earlier, the state had reported 14 deaths on August 26.

Of the 2,891 fresh cases, 670 surfaced in Kamrup Metropolitan, 232 in Kamrup Rural, 175 in Karimganj and 151 in Dibrugarh, Sarma said.

The new cases were reported out of 39,347 tests conducted during the past 24 hours with the positivity rate of 7.34 per cent, he said.

The total number of tests conducted so far in the state is 24,05,951.

Meanwhile, 2,029 recovered patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of cured people to 92,717, Sarma said. 

The minister earlier in the day said the state government was preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to implement directives of the Gauhati High Court regarding adherence to COVID protocols issued by the Health Department.

The Gauhati High Court has expressed concern over the rise in cases and has made police and the deputy commissioners personally liable to ensure that the directives and protocols issued by the department to check the spread of COVID-19 are maintained in public places.

The situation in the state is alarming with an average of nearly 3,000 cases daily but the state government cannot impose further lockdowns without the permission of the Union government, the minister said.

The state government had lifted a weekend lockdown and night curfew on Friday though lockdown restrictions will remain in force in containment zones till September 30, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said. 

22:48 September 05

AP logs 10,825 fresh COVID-19 cases, overall tally inches closer to five lakh mark

With more districts touching new landmarks by the day, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday inched closer to the five lakh mark in coronavirus cases as 10,825 more were added afresh in 24 hours.

After 10,830 on August 26, this is the highest addition of cases in a day in the state.

For the second day in a row, close to 12,000 COVID-19 patients got cured and discharged from hospitals, thereby bringing down the number of active cases, the latest bulletin said.

22:47 September 05

COVID-19: Delhi records highest spike in cases in 71 days; death count 4,538

Delhi recorded 2,973 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest single-day spike here in 71 days, as the tally in the city mounted to over 1.88 lakh, while the death toll climbed to 4,538, authorities said.

This is the fifth successive day in September when over 2,000 new cases have been reported in a day.

Twenty-five fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

On June 26, the city had recorded 3,460 cases, the highest single-day spike before September 5.

On Friday, 13 deaths were reported and the daily case count was 2,914. From September 1, 2 and 3, the fresh cases count stood at 2,312, 2,509 and 2,737, respectively.

The active cases tally on Saturday rose to 19,870 from 18,842 the previous day.

On June 23, the national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3947.

The death toll from COVID-19 in Delhi stood at 4513 on Friday.

The Saturday bulletin said, the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 4538 and the total number of cases climbed to 1,88,193. 

22:47 September 05

69 more COVID-19 deaths, 1,515 fresh cases in Punjab

The death toll from COVID-19 rose to 1,808 with 69 more fatalities in Punjab while the infection tally jumped to 61,527 with 1,515 new cases on Saturday, according to a medical bulletin.

22:46 September 05

Maha adds record 20,801 COVID-19 cases in day; 312 die

Maharashtra on Saturday reported its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 cases at 20,801, taking the total count of infections to 8,83,862, the state health department said.

With 312 fatalities, the cumulative toll went up to 26,276 in the state, it said.

This is the fourth consecutive day that Maharashtra has reported record number of cases in a single day.

Earlier, the state had reported the highest single-day spike of 19,218 cases on Friday.

A total of 10,801 people were discharged on Saturday, taking the number of recoveries to 6,36,574, a Health official said.

The state currently has 2,20,661 active cases.

Mumbai city reported 1,737 new cases and 33 deaths, taking its tally to 1,53,712 and the toll to 7,832, the official said. 

22:45 September 05

Bengal's COVID death toll crosses 3,500-mark; discharge rate rises to 84.86 pc

The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal crossed the 3,500-mark to reach 3,510 after 58 more people succumbed to the disease on Saturday, a bulletin released by the state health department said.

After 3,248 patients recovered from the infection, the discharge rate improved to 84.86 per cent from 84.48 per cent on Friday.

The bulletin said that 3,042 fresh cases of the contagion took the tally to 1,77,701.

The state now has 23,390 active cases.

In the last 24 hours, 45,781 samples were tested for COVID-19 in West Bengal, the bulletin said.

22:45 September 05

Haryana reports its highest one-day jump in COVID-19 deaths, cases

Haryana on Saturday reported its highest single-day jump in number of COVID-19 deaths at 22, while a record spike of 2,289 cases pushed the infection tally to 74,272, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

22:44 September 05

1,636 new coronavirus cases in MP, 30 deaths, 1,392 recoveries

Madhya Pradesh on Saturday recorded 1,636 new coronavirus cases, taking the total count in the state to 71,880, health officials said.

20:41 September 05

Kerala records biggest single day spike of 2,655 new COVID-19 cases

Kerala on Saturday reported 2,655 new COVID-19 cases, the highest ever reported in a single day, taking the infection count in the state to 84,758, while the death toll has mounted to 337 with the addition of 11 more fatalities.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said currently, 21,800 people are under treatment in the state for COVID-19, and 62,559 people have so far been cured of the disease.

Out of the fresh cases,2,433 are locally transmitted cases and the contact source in 220 cases was unknown.

20:41 September 05

1,311 new coronavirus cases in Guj, 16 deaths, 1,148 recoveries

Coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 1,03,006 on Saturday with 1,311 new patients coming to light, the state health department said.

With 16 new fatalities, the COVID-19 death toll in the state reached 3,094, it said.

At the same time, 1,148 patients were discharged, raising the number of recovered cases to 83,546, the department said in its release.

With this, the state has achieved a recovery rate of 81.11 per cent, it said.

72,751 coronavirus tests were conducted in Gujarat since Friday evening at the rate of 1,119.24 tests per day per million population, it said.

A total of 27,08,120 samples have been tested in the state so far.

Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,03,006, New cases 1,311, Death toll 3,094, Discharged 83,546, Active cases 16,366 and people tested so far 27,08,120. 

20:40 September 05

TN inches towards 4 lakh recoveries, reports 5,870 new COVID-19 cases

Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 5,870 new COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 4,57,697 and 61 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,748, while cumulative recoveries inched close to the four lakh mark.

Of the fresh infections, Chennai logged 965 and the three nearby districts of Chengelpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur together reported 689 and the remainder of the cases was scattered across other districts, a health department bulletin said.

20:39 September 05

No. of COVID-19 recoveries crosses 31L in India, case fatality rate drops to 1.73 pc

With a record 70,072 patients recuperating from COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, the total number of such recoveries surgedto31,07,223 in the country, pushing the recovery rate to 77.23 per cent, the health ministry said on Saturday, while underlining that the "test, track and treat" strategy is showing tangible results.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.73 per cent, it added.

20:33 September 05

Centre tells Maha, AP, K'taka to break chain of Covid-19 transmission

The Health Ministry on Saturday exhorted Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to focus on aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that mortalities are kept below one per cent.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka account for about 46 per cent of the active cases reported nationally in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra alone accounts for 22 per cent of all active cases reported in the last 24 hours.

These three states also account for 52 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths reported across the country in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra alone accounted for 35 per cent of all deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

The Union Home Ministry also highlighted the districts of concern in each State. In Maharashtra, Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur, Satara and Palghar were highlighted and the need for effective containment and contact tracing was emphasized.

20:05 September 05

950 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Uttarakhand today, taking the total number of cases to 23961: State Control Room COVID-19

20:05 September 05

258 more Maharashtra police personnel tested COVID-19 positive while 2 died, in the last 24 hours. Total number of positive cases in the police force rise to 16,401 including 2,789 active cases, 13,446 recoveries & 166 deaths till date: Maharashtra Police

20:04 September 05

1515 new COVID-19 positive cases and 69 deaths reported in Punjab today. Total number of cases now at 61527 and death toll is at 1808: Punjab Govt

20:03 September 05

234 new COVID-19 positive cases and 1 death reported in Chandigarh today. Total number of cases now at 5502 including 2140 active cases and 69 deaths: Health Department, Chandigarh

20:03 September 05

Tamil Nadu reported 5,870 new COVID-19 cases, 5,859 discharges and 61 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 51,583, discharges to 3,98,366 and death toll to 7,748: State Health Department

20:03 September 05

Kerala recorded 2,655 new COVID-19 cases & 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 4,459: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

20:02 September 05

Bareilly DM tests positive for COVID-19

Bareilly District Magistrate Nitish Kumar tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, an official said.

After the official was tested positive for the infection, the entry of outsiders to the DM camp office has been stopped.

"In the test report, it has emerged that Bareilly district magistrate has tested positive for COVID-19. The district magistrate has quarantined himself at his residence. Officials of the municipal corporation have sanitised the DM camp office and residence." Said Bareilly Chief Medical Officer, Dr Vineet Kumar Shukla. 

DM Kumar said on appearance of initial symptoms, he got himself tested for COVID-19, and he was found positive for the disease.

The DM has appealed to all persons who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested for COVID-19.

20:01 September 05

Karnataka adds 9,746 new COVID-19 cases, 128 deaths push toll to 6,298

Karnataka on Saturday reported 9,746 new COVID-19 cases and 128 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 3,89,232 and death toll to 6,298, the Health department said.

The day also saw a record 9,102 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Out of 9,746 fresh cases reported today, 3,093 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

As of September 5 evening, cumulatively 3,89,232 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 6,298 deaths and 2,83,298 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.

20:00 September 05

J-K sees record one-day jump of 1,251 COVID-19 cases; 15 more die

Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday recorded 1,251 COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day spike in infections, pushing the tally to 42,241, while 15 fatalities in the past 24 hours raised the death toll to 770, officials said.

This is for the third time in as many days that the number of fresh cases has crossed the 1000-mark in a 24-hour period, the officials said.

Among the new cases, 739 were from the Jammu region, while 512 from the Kashmir Valley.

Jammu district reported a maximum of 520 new cases, followed by 181 in Srinagar district, the officials said.

Jammu on Saturday became the first district in the Union Territory to report over 500 COVID-19 cases in a single day.

There are 9,547 active COVID-19 cases in the UT, while 31,924 people have recovered from the infection so far, they said.

Meanwhile, 15 people infected with the coronavirus have died in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours till 5.00 pm on Saturday, the officials said.

They said while 10 of the new fatalities took place in Jammu, five were reported from the Kashmir Valley. 

17:59 September 05

With 6,692 people testing positive for COVID, UP registers largest single-day spike

With 6,692 people testing positive for COVID-19, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported the highest single-day surge in the number of fresh cases with state capital Lucknow topping the chart with 1,006 cases.

With 81 fresh COVID-19 deaths, so far 3,843 patients have succumbed to the viral disease in the state.

The previous single-day highest spike in COVID cases, registered on August 30, was 6,233.

According to the UP government's Saturday health bulletin, the bulk of 81 18 deaths was reported from Lucknow, followed by seven deaths from Kanpur. Gorakhpur and Hardoi reported 5 deaths each. Varanasi reported 4 deaths and Ghaziabad three.

Deaths in single figures were reported from each of the 75 districts of the state, barring a few.

Allahabad reported 413 fresh COVID-19 cases followed by 362 from Kanpur. Cases were also reported from Gautam Buddh Nagar (213), Gorakhpur (206), Saharanpur (198), Varanasi (190), Shahjahanpur (184), Ghaziabad (167), Meerut (156), Pratapgarh (148), Bareilly (133), Rampur (132), Moradabad (128), Ayodhya (124), Barabanki (120), Aligarh (116), Jhansi (104).

17:58 September 05

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh tests negative for COVID, ends self-isolation

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday ended his week-long self-isolation after testing negative for COVID.

The Chief Minister had isolated himself after coming in contact with two MLAs who had later tested positive. He came in contact with the legislators in the Vidhan Sabha on August 28 during a one-day session of the House.

Captain Amarinder, who presided over a virtual high-level meeting of ministers, Congress MLAs and senior officials, disclosed during the interaction that he had got himself tested today and was found negative. 

This was the 3rd time the Chief Minister had got himself tested for Coronavirus since the outbreak of the pandemic.

17:33 September 05

Rajasthan corona count: 8 die, 718 test positive

Rajasthan on Saturday reported eight deaths due to COVID-19 and 718 fresh cases of infection, taking the total number of fatalities and positive cases in the state to 1,116 and 88,515 respectively.

Three persons died in Jaipur, two in Alwar, and one each in Dausa, Nagaur and Sikar while the maximum positive cases 136 were reported from Jaipur, according to official figures. 

Other cases were reported from Kota (103), Ajmer (77), Alwar (75), Jodhpur (52), Jhalawar and Bikaner (26 each), Jhunjhunu (22), Jaisalmer and Tonk (20 each), Sawaimadhopur (19), Pali (16), Chittorgarh (14), Nagaur and Bundi (13 each), Dholpur (10), Bharatpur, Churu, Bhilwara and Ganganagar (8 each), Barmer (7), Banswara, Sirohi and Udaipur (5 each).

A total of 71,990 COVID-19 patients have been recovered so far and the number of active cases at present is 15,409. 

17:32 September 05

Tripura reports record 691 new COVID-19 cases, seven more deaths

Tripura registered its highest single-day spike of 691 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, which pushed the tally in the northeastern state to 14,527, a health department official said.

The death toll rose to 136 after seven more people succumbed to the infection, he said.

West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, accounted for 76 of the 136 COVID-19 deaths, the official said.

The state currently has 5,887 active cases, while 8,483 people have recovered from the disease. Twenty-one patients have migrated to other states.

Tripura had reported its previous highest single-day spike of 590 COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

A total of 2,92,272 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, he added. 

17:27 September 05

District court closed after three employees test positive for COVID-19

 The Aligarh district court was closed on Saturday after its three employees tested positive for coronavirus infection, an official said.

The cases scheduled to be hard on September 5 were deferred to October 3, the official spokesperson said.

The court will review the situation and decide about the future course of action on September 7. 

15:35 September 05

Telangana minister Harish Rao tests Covid-19 positive

  • On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine, I request that all those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get Covid Test done

    — Harish Rao Thanneeru #StayHome #StaySafe (@trsharish) September 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data=" ">

Two days before the commencement of Telangana state legislature session, Finance Minister T. Harish Rao has tested positive for Covid-19.

The minister took to Twitter on Saturday to declare that he is infected with COVID. He, however, said he was "fine".

"On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine," tweeted Harish Rao.

The minister, who is the nephew of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, requested all those who came in contact with him in the last few days to isolate themselves and get COVID test done.

15:33 September 05

Union Health Ministry Introduces 'On Demand' COVID-19 Testing Without Prescription

Acting on the recommendations of the National Task Force on novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry has allowed on-demand COVID-19 testing without a prescription.

"For the first time, along with more simplified modalities, the updated guidelines provide for 'On-demand' testing in order to ensure higher levels of testing," read a release by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Individuals who wish to get tested and those undertaking travel to countries/Indian states mandating a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry can get an "on demand" test.

The ministry said that the new advisory has further simplified the testing process and given more freedom and flexibilities to the State authorities to facilitate enhanced ease of testing for the people.

"A totally new section has been added in the advisory on 'testing on demand' which for all practical purposes does away with prescription by a registered medical practitioner although state governments have the freedom to decide on simplified modalities," read the release.

There are now 1,647 testing laboratories operational which cover all states/UTs, the ministry said.

12:40 September 05

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rises to 4,775
The COVID-19 caseload in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 4,775, with 201 more people including 33 security personnel testing positive for the
virus, a senior Health Department official said on Saturday.

Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Taba Tedir has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is in home quarantine, the official said.

12:40 September 05

Pondy logs 408 new coronavirus cases, tally touches 16,566

Puducherry continued to witness an upward trend of COVID-19 infections as 408 fresh cases and 18 related deaths were added on Saturday, raising the overall tally to 16,566 in the union territory.

Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release that 18 more people including five women succumbed to the viral infection during the last 24 hours
ending 10 a.m. on Saturday.

He said 433 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals.

12:39 September 05

Gujarat Covid-19 tally at 1,01,695, toll reaches 3,078

Gujarat's corona cases rose to 1,01,695 with the addition of 1,320 cases on Friday while the toll reached 3,078 as 14 more succumbed.

During August, the state had seen 35,002 positive cases with a daily average of 1,129 cases, while in September so far, 5,260 cases have been detected with an average of 1,315 cases daily.

A total of 1,218 patients were discharged on Friday, taking the total to 82,398, while the state has 16,219 active cases, of which 92 critical patients were still on ventilator.

12:38 September 05

COVID-19 surge continues in Taj city

A record 88 fresh cases in a day have alarmed the Agra authorities, who are battling the Covid-19 infection through a multi-pronged strategy.

The district authorities have streamlined the medical infrastructure, adding beds and manpower at the S.N. Medical College, district hospital and the lone quarantine centre at the campus of the Hindustan College.

Health officials said the daily testing numbers were on the rise and testing on-demand would soon be introduced at dozens of new centres in the city.

Half a dozen private nursing homes in the city have been permitted to admit Covid-19 patients. The local S.N. Medical College has only 24 beds in the ICU. The target is to increase the number of beds to 85.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh visited the facilities on Friday. Doctors asked him to arrange for more ventilators.

More than 300 samples were collected during the three-day Sero Survey that began on Friday. A health department official said the target was to collect around 1,400 samples from different age groups.

The total number of samples collected in Agra is now 1,27,881. The number of active cases has gone up to 565. The number of recovered patients is 2,531. The tally now is 3,204 with 108 deaths. Almost 65 per cent of patients are from urban areas.

In neighbouring districts, the surge in fresh cases continues to remain alarming, particularly in Mathura and Aligarh.

12:37 September 05

1,047 new cases take J&K's COVID tally to 40,990

Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reported 1,047 new Covid-19 cases, taking the Union Territory's coronavirus tally to 40,990, while 12 deaths in the past 24 hours mounted the UT's COVID death toll to 755.

A statement issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said that of the 1,047 cases reported on Friday, 493 were from Jammu division and 554 from Kashmir division. Of the 12 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 3 are from Jammu division and 9 from Kashmir division.

So far, 31,435 people have completely recovered from the disease, and the number of active cases in J&K stands at 8,800 now, of which 3,369 are from Jammu division and 5,431 from Kashmir division.

12:36 September 05

Karnataka registers 9K more corona cases, total tally 3.79 lakh

Karnataka registered 9,280 more coronavirus cases, taking the state's tally to 3.79 lakh, even as 6,161 more patients recovered, an official said on Friday.

"Today, 9,280 new positive cases have been reported and 6,161 patients cured and discharged," said Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

Of the total 3.79 lakh cases in Karnataka, 99,101 are active. As many as 785 patients are in the ICUs.

Bengaluru continues to be the epicentre of the pandemic in the southern state, registering 2,963 more infections, increasing its tally to 1.41 lakh, of which 41,646 are active.

Mysuru accounted for 776 infections, followed by Ballari (447), Dakshina Kannada (428), Tumkur (424), Shivamogga (350), Hassan (340), and Dharwad (297).

Meanwhile, 116 more patients succumbed to the virus, increasing the death toll to 6,170.

However, on a positive note, 6,161 more patients recovered, increasing the total recoveries to 2.74 lakh in Karnataka.

12:36 September 05

COVID cases in Kerala cross 80,000

The daily number of COVID positive patients in Kerala continues to spike, taking the cases in the state to 81,716.

In a statement released on Friday by the State Health Minister K. K. Shailaja, she said there were 2,479 fresh cases, while 2,716 had recovered from Covid-19.

"At present, there were 21,268 positive cases while 60,448 have been recovered of Covid-19. In the past 24 hours, 36,310 samples were tested. Across the state, there were 1,97,937 people under observation which includes 17,194 people in various hospitals. The state has 557 hot spots," Shailaja added.

Thiruvananthapuram district continues to lead in the number of new coronavirus cases, which has been a pattern for a while now after 477 turned COVID positive.

On Friday, 11 deaths were reported taking the toll to 326.

11:50 September 05

  • On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine, I request that all those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get Covid Test done

    — Harish Rao Thanneeru #StayHome #StaySafe (@trsharish) September 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data=" ">

Telangana finance minister tests positive

Finance minister of Telangana, Harish Rao tested positive for COVID-19.  He revealed the news on his official Twitter handle.

10:36 September 05

India crosses 40 lakh COVID-19 cases; 86,432 infections reported in a day

India's COVID-19 infection tally sprinted past 40 lakh, just 13 days after it crossed 30 lakh, with a record86,432cases being reported in a day, while recoveries have surged to31,07,223 on Saturday pushing the recovery rate to 77.23 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 40,23,179, while the death toll climbed to 69,561 with1,089people succumbing to the disease ina span of 24 hours, data updated at 8 am showed.

India's COVID-19 cases jumped from 10 lakh to 20 lakh in 21 days. It took 16 more days to race past 30 lakh and 13 days more to cross the 40-lakh mark.

It took110days for the COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh while it had taken 59 days more to go past the the10-lakh post.

The COVID-19casefatality rate due to the novel coronavirus infection has further declined to 1.73 per cent.

There are 8,46,395 active cases of coronavirus infection, which is 21.04 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and went past 30 lakh on August 23.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 4,77,38,491 samples have been tested up to September 4 with 10,59,346 samples being tested on Friday.

10:33 September 05

Telangana sees over 2,500 new COVID-19 cases; 11 fatalities up toll to 877

Telangana posted 2,511 fresh coronavirus cases and 11 related deaths, taking the total infection count in the state to 1.38 lakh.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 305, followed by Rangareddy 184, Nalgonda 170 and Karimnagar 150 districts, a government bulletin said on Friday, providing data as of 8 pm on September 4. 

The cumulative recovered cases stood at 1,04,603 while 32,915 are under treatment. 

As many as 62,132 samples were tested on September 4.

Cumulatively, 16.67 lakh samples have been tested.

The samples tested per million population was 44,918, the bulletin said.

09:48 September 05

Guwahati: Fifteen more people died from coronavirus in Assam on Friday as 2,891 fresh cases surfaced, taking the number of infections to 1,21,224, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

So far, 345 people have died from the infection in Assam, the minister said, adding that the state reported its highest single-day death toll on Friday.

He said two deaths each were reported from Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Karimganj and Kokrajhar; while the rest took place in Tinsukia, Udalguri, Hojai, Nagaon, Chirang, Kamrup Metropolitan and Jorhat.

Earlier, the state had reported 14 deaths on August 26.

Of the 2,891 fresh cases, 670 surfaced in Kamrup Metropolitan, 232 in Kamrup Rural, 175 in Karimganj and 151 in Dibrugarh, Sarma said.

The new cases were reported out of 39,347 tests conducted during the past 24 hours with the positivity rate of 7.34 per cent, he said.

The total number of tests conducted so far in the state is 24,05,951.

Meanwhile, 2,029 recovered patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of cured people to 92,717, Sarma said. 

The minister earlier in the day said the state government was preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to implement directives of the Gauhati High Court regarding adherence to COVID protocols issued by the Health Department.

The Gauhati High Court has expressed concern over the rise in cases and has made police and the deputy commissioners personally liable to ensure that the directives and protocols issued by the department to check the spread of COVID-19 are maintained in public places.

The situation in the state is alarming with an average of nearly 3,000 cases daily but the state government cannot impose further lockdowns without the permission of the Union government, the minister said.

The state government had lifted a weekend lockdown and night curfew on Friday though lockdown restrictions will remain in force in containment zones till September 30, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said. 

Last Updated : Sep 5, 2020, 10:52 PM IST
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