Imphal, June 29 (IANS) Even as the positivity rate declined by 6.5 per cent over the past four days, Covid-19 cases are increasing in Manipur as the cumulative stood at 243 on Sunday, an official said.

A senior official of Manipur Health and Family Welfare Department said that of the 50 samples tested on Sunday, 13 tested positive for the coronavirus.

Of the 243 positive cases on Sunday, 166 were reported in Imphal West district, 54 in Imphal East district, ten in Thoubal district, nine in Bishnupur, two in Tengnoupal and one each in Kakching and Chandel district.

Except for the tribal-inhabited Tengnoupal and Chandel districts, the five districts fall in the Imphal Valley region.

According to the health official, the Covid-19 positivity rate in Manipur stood at 26 per cent on Sunday against 32.5 per cent on June 26.

Currently, 89 people with Covid positive cases remain in home isolation (quarantine).

Manipur’s Health Services Director Chambo Gonmei said in the current wave, the first Covid case in the state was reported on June 9, when a 23-year-old woman tested positive for the infection.

The woman hails from Bishnupur district. He urged the people to be on alert in view of the spread of the infection in other parts of the country.

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla earlier held a review meeting at the Raj Bhavan and advised the importance of proactive measures, adequate medical infrastructure, and community awareness to ensure the state remains equipped to handle any potential surge in Covid-19 cases.

Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, senior medical officials from the state Health Department and other authorities attended the meeting.

The review was held in view of recent directives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on enhanced preparedness amid rising concerns of a possible Covid-19 resurgence.

A Raj Bhavan official said that the health officials briefed the Governor on the state’s preparedness, including diagnostics, protective equipment, oxygen supply, ICU and isolation wards, essential drugs, and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform portal.

–IANS

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