Arunachal Pradesh reports 123 new COVID-19 cases

Itanagar, Apr 28 (PTI) At least 123 more people

including 15 security personnel tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the total caseload in the northeastern state to 17,898, a senior health department official said here on Wednesday.

Of the fresh cases, 109 were detected through rapid antigen tests, while nine through RT-PCR and five through TrueNAT methods, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Barring 13, all the fresh cases are asymptomatic, the official said.

Thirty fresh cases were reported from the Capital Complex Region, Lower Dibang Valley (22), Lower Subansiri (15), Papumpare (14), eight each from Tawang and East Siang and West Kameng (6), he said.

Four fresh cases were also reported from West Siang, three each from Changlang and Lower Siang, two each from Lohit, Namsai and Tirap and one each from Pakke Kessang, East Kameng, Leparada and Anjaw district respectively, the SSO said.

Eight Army personnel and seven jawans of India Reserve Battalion (IRB) have also contracted the disease. One official of NDRF was also infected with the virus, Dr Jampa said.

The IRB personnel had returned from West Bengal after performing election duties, the official said.

Arunachal Pradesh currently has 819 active COVID-19 cases while the death toll so far is 58.

At least 28 more people recuperated from the disease on Tuesday taking the total recoveries in the state to 17,021, the official said.

The recovery rate now is 95.10 per cent and the positivity rate at 4.57 per cent.

The Capital Complex Region -- comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 215, followed by Lower Dibang Valley district (199), West Kameng (70), Papumpare (58), East Siang (55), Lower Subansiri (42), Tawang (33), Namsai (25) and Lohit (19).

Tirap district also has 18 active cases, Pakke Kessang (16), West Siang (11), Upper Subansiri (8), Leparada and Lower Siang at 7 each, Anjaw (4), two each in East Kameng and Upper Siang and one each in Longding and Kra Daadi district respectively.

As many as 4,43,327 samples have been tested so far, including 3,095 on Tuesday, Dr Jampa said.

According to State Immunization Officer Dr Dimong Padung, a total of 2,24,724 people were inoculated in the state so far since the vaccination drive began in January this year.