Amid the surging COVID-19 positive cases in Assam, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday inaugurated a new COVID-19 testing lab at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) in Guwahati.
According to an update posted by the health minister on Twitter, the new testing lab is the 13th COVID-19 testing lab in the state. Six more labs will soon be inaugurated, he said.
"We have been continuously scaling up our testing abilities & improving our medical infra to ensure best management of pandemic. Inaugurated the new testing lab at MMCH. Pleased to share that it is the 13th #COVID19 testing lab in Assam & 6 more labs shall come soon," Sarma tweeted.
Meanwhile, 140 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Assam on Wednesday of which 122 cases were reported from Guwahati.
The total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Assam increased to 8,547 cases, including 5,647 recovered cases and 12 deaths. While three cases have migrated to other states, Assam now has 2,885 active COVID-19 cases.
The health minister, while maintaining that there is no need to panic, appealed to all to strictly follow lockdown guidelines to combat COVID-19 effectively.
"Alert ~ 140 new #COVID19+ cases detected. I must mention that 122 out of these are from Guwahati City and it is my humble plea to all to strictly follow lockdown guidelines to be able to flatten the curve. No need to panic, however," Sarma tweeted.
On Tuesday, Assam reported 613 new COVID-19 positive cases, taking the state's tally to 8,407.
The health minister also extended his wishes and gratitude to the doctors on National Doctors’ Day 2020 saying doctors are messengers of God on Earth.
“Dear Doctors - You are messengers of God on earth. You nurture our lives and save us from dreadful diseases. This pandemic has taught us this, yet again. On #doctorsday2020 I bow down to your spirited service. All I can say in gratitude is that we're forever GRATEFUL,” Sarma posted on Twitter.
