Andamans reports 4 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 5,013

Port Blair: Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported four new COVID-19 cases, pushing the coronavirus caseload in the union territory to 5,013, an official said on Wednesday.

The four new cases were detected in South Andaman district during contact tracing on Tuesday, the official said.

The union territory now has eight active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in South Andaman district, he said.

The other two districts of the union territory North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar are COVID-19 free as both dont have any active COVID-19 case, the official said.

Five more patients were cured of the disease on Tuesday, taking the total number of COVID-19 recoveries in the archipelago to 4,943 while 62 people have succumbed to the infection so far, the official said.

The administration has so far tested 2,50,037 samples for COVID-19 and the test positivity rate is 2 per cent, he added.

Strict COVID-19 protocols are being followed in the islands with wearing of masks made mandatory by the administration as a large number of tourists are flocking to the archipelago.

Official sources said any person arriving by flight in the union territory is required to produce RT-PCR negative report before allowed entry into the islands.

A total of 4,047 health care and frontline workers have received COVID-19 vaccine in the union territory so far, he said.

At least 182 health care workers have received the second dose of the vaccine, the official added.