Assam currently has 21,701 active cases. (Representational)
At least 64 per cent of the districts in India with over 10 per cent COVID-19 positivity rate are from the eight states in the northeast region, the Health Ministry has said.
This was revealed in a report compiled by the ministry on the status of the coronavirus pandemic between June 29 and July 5, considered the last leg of the second wave that was at its peak in May-June during an online media consultation held on Thursday.
The report said 47 districts out of the 73 districts in the nation, where one in 10 COVID-19 tests are coming back positive, are from Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim.
Of these, Arunachal Pradesh with 18 districts tops the list, while Manipur follows next with nine districts, Meghalaya with six districts, four each in Tripura and Sikkim, three in Nagaland, two in Assam and only one in Sikkim.
The data also reveals that at least 14 districts from the northeast of which, nine are from Assam alone, are showing high instances of COVID-19 transmission requiring "focused attention among the total 90 districts nationwide in that category. Two districts in Manipur and one each from Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram also fall in that category.
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, however, share the first spot with 15 districts each but Assam ranks fifth after Kerala with 14, Andhra with 11 and Odisha with 10 districts in this category.
Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta had earlier said that of the samples sent for analysis between April and May, at least 77 per cent showed the presence of the Delta variant, the purported cause for the second wave that had infected the below 18-year-old age group more than it did in the first wave.
The state currently has 21,701 active cases while the total confirmed cases are at 5,27,200 of which, 4764 have died and 4,99,388 have recovered so far.
On vaccination, the report said, northeast India has administered a total of 1,43,62,892 of which, 1,18,92,816 are first doses and 24,70,076 are second doses till July 5. Maximum of those, 77,20,596, were administered by Assam while Tripura follows with over 26.48 lakh doses and Manipur with 7.75 lakh doses.