Why Covid-19 surged by 59% in two weeks among Assam's health workers

Negligence in testing out-patients in hospitals, staff shortages leading to prolonged exposure to the sick, and indiscriminate admission of all cases--asymptomatic, mild or severe--to health facilities. These are the factors that caused a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases among Assam's health workers starting from May. The spike intensified in August, increasing from 720 on July 28 to 1,143 by the second week of August--a 59% rise--health workers told IndiaSpend.

The first COVID-19 case in Assam was reported on March 31 and by July 27, 720 health workers had tested positive in the state, S Lakshmanan, the state director