Tripura reports 582 new Covid-19 cases, nine fresh fatalities

Agartala, Sep. 9 (PTI): As many as 582 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Tripura on Wednesday, pushing the state's tally to 16,739, a health official said.

Tripura's coronavirus death toll rose to 161 as nine more people succumbed to the infection, he said.

West Tripura district, under which Agartala falls, accounted for 85 of the 161 Covid-19 deaths reported in the state so far.

The state now has 6,903 active Covid-19 cases, while 9,653 people have recovered from the disease so far and 22 patients have migrated to other states, the official said.

A total of 3,08,925 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in Tripura so far, he said.

The Union Health Ministry will send a team of two doctors to Tripura to review the Covid-19 situation in the state and suggest measures to mitigate the crisis, state Law Minister and cabinet spokesperson Ratan Lal Nath told reporters here.

Dr. Daisy Panna, consultant epidemiologist, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Dr. P K Verma, assistant professor, respiratory medicine, Lady Hardinge Memorial College (LHMC), Delhi will arrive in the state in a day or two, he said.

"The doctors will visit various affected areas in the state, including containment zones, to review surveillance, infection prevention and control practices, testing and status of health facilities for Covid-19," Nath said.

The team will submit daily reports with their suggestions to the district collectors and the joint secretary of the Union Health Ministry, he said.

The Tripura government has constituted a Covid-19 management team to supervise the overall health-related situation in the state.

"We have formed a team of eight IAS officers for management, supervision and coordination of health-related issues. The team will function under the supervision of Additional Chief Secretary S K Rakesh," the minister said.

The state government has also decided to form a committee of eight doctors to work in coordination with the IAS officers, he added.