Itanagar, September 6 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally inched closer to the 5,000-mark on Sunday as 139 more people, including 20 security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.
The fresh infections have taken the northeastern state''s caseload to 4,914, he said.
The Capital Complex region reported the highest number of new cases at 58, followed by 13 in West Siang district, State Surveillance Officer, Dr L Jampa, said.
Barring 16, all the new patients are asymptomatic and they have been shifted to COVID-19 care centers, he said.
"Six Army men, nine Assam Rifles jawans, three Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel and two policemen are among the new patients," Jampa said.
As many as 101 more people have been cured of the disease and discharged from hospitals, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 1,525 active COVID-19 cases, while 3,381 people have recovered from the disease so far, and eight patients have succumbed to the infection, the official said.
The recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in the state now stands at 68.80 per cent, he said.
The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 293, followed by West Siang district (189), East Siang (143), West Kameng (138) and Papumpare and Changlang (120 each), Jampa said.
The state has so far tested 1,83,390 samples for COVID-19, including 3,017 on Saturday, he added.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Passang Dorjee Sona has urged the legislators to undergo COVID-19 tests.
His appeal came after Education Minister Taba Tedir contracted the disease on Friday.
A rapid antigen testing facility will be set up on the Assembly premises on September 8 for the lawmakers, Sona said in a communiqu.
"The testing facility is being arranged in view of the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state and to ensure the safety of the Assembly members who being public leaders have to frequently come in contact with the people," the speaker said.
Three lawmakers, including Tedir, Jummum Ete Deori of Lekang seat and Kalaktang MLA Dorjee Wangdi Kharma, have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
