This story is from May 29, 2020

Double blow: Deluge hits 3 lakh, Covid-19 count 856 in Assam

Assam is reeling from the double attack of Covid-19 and floods which have together claimed seven lives - four to the virus and three to the deluge - so far.
Double blow: Deluge hits 3 lakh, Covid-19 count 856 in Assam
A health worker collects swab sample of a resident for Covid-19 test at a containment zone in Guwahati. (PTI File Photo)
GUWAHATI: Assam is reeling from the double attack of Covid-19 and floods which have together claimed seven lives - four to the virus and three to the deluge - so far.
On the 59th day since the first positive case was reported, the total count reached 856 while the population affected by the first wave of floods that struck on May 22 neared three lakh on Thursday. Of the total number of people hit by the deluge, 20,000 have taken shelter in relief camps.
According to Assam state Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the two deaths have been reported in Lakhipur and Balijan areas of the worst-hit Goalpara district.
The first death in floods this year was also reported from the same district on Wednesday.
The disaster management body stated that altogether 2,94,170 have been affected as floodwaters continue to hit new districts. The number of people displaced to 91 relief camps in 15 affected districts has also increased to 19,577.
In the Covid-19 arena, the day saw 73 new cases, which included a second flight passenger since Wednesday, who had travelled from Chennai on Sunday. A woman from Guwahati, who had flown in from Ahmedabad, tested positive on Wednesday. The number of active cases, on the other hand, now stands at 746 with 16 patients getting discharged from hospitals after their recovery in Guwahati and Silchar on Thursday, said Assam health minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Similarly, due to the worsening flood situation, the number of affected people has surged by 22,515, while the number of displaced people putting up in relief camps has increased by 2,857 in the last 24 hours.
Over 3,400 have returned on flights
Thirty-two flights have landed here since Monday by which 3,421 passengers have returned to the state from various locations while about 1,200 others have flown out of Assam.
Nearly 98% of the state's Covid cases have been found in people who have returned from other states. Sarma had earlier said the daily rise in the number of positive cases will continue at least till June 10. Two lakh people had registered with the government for their homecoming and more than a lakh of them have already arrived. Sarma hoped that between June 10 and 15, the flow of people will start thinning out.
An analysis of the growing Covid-19 cases show that the climb is at an average of 35.66 people every day in the last 24 days since the inter-state movement was allowed by Centre from May 5. Prior to the opening of the inter-state borders, only 42 cases were reported in 35 days since the first case on March 31, which averages to 1.2 persons per day.
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About the Author
Prabin Kalita

Prabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is currently the Chief of Bureau (northeast). He has been reporting in mainstream Indian national media since 2001. He has been a field journalist reporting gamut of issues from India’s northeastern region and major developments in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh concerning India and northeastern region. He has been covering insurgency—internal and cross-border, politics, natural calamities, environment etc. He is a post-graduate in Geological Sciences from Gauhati University.

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