Raipur, Jul 25 (PTI) Chhattisgarh reported 249 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, including 29 BSF personnel, taking the state's count to 7,087, while three deaths during the day increased the toll to 39, an official said.

A total of 116 patients were discharged as well, taking the number of such cases to 4,683, he added.

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Of the fresh cases, 123 were from Raipur, 47 from Durg, 17 from Bilaspur, 13 from Kanker, 12 from Janjgir- Champa, 11 from Bastar, six from Kondagaon, four each from Raigarh, Balodabazar, Rajnandgaon and Jashpur, two from Kabirdham and one case each from Korba and Narayanpur, he said.

"Twenty-nine Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are among the new cases detected, comprising 24 from Durg and five from Kanker. The overall infection count among BSF ranks across the state now stands at 273, including one death and 91 who have been discharged post recovery," said an official from the force.

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The BSF is deployed in Kanker for Naxal operations while its frontier headquarters is in Bhilai city in Durg.

"All three fatalities have been reported from Raipur. Of these, a 10-year-old girl and a 52-year-old man died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur due to coronavirus as well comorbidities," a health official said said.

"The man was a Congress leader and lawyer and was suffering from hypertension with dilated cardiomyopathy. He was admitted in the institute on July 14. The minor girl was admitted due to jaundice and altered consciousness, and was diagnosed with fulminant viral hepatitis A with hepatic encephalopathy and later with COVID-19," he said.

The samples of a 53-year-old woman who died on July 23 in Dr BR Ambedkar Hospital tested positive on Saturday, he added.

The numbers of active cases in the state now stood at 2,365, as 4,683 people have been discharged while 39 have died of the infection so far, he said.

Chhattisgarh, where the infection has spread in all 28 districts, has recorded over 4,600 cases in the last one month, he said.

With a total 1,977 cases, Raipur district tops the tally in the state.

Meanwhile, AIIMS Raipur Director Nitin M Nagarkar said the next two months will be crucial as the state is witnessing a spurt in cases.

"Increased testing facilities have resulted in detection of more cases in the state. Everyone should be careful over the next few months, and follow hygienic practices suggested by the health department," he added.

Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 figures are as follows: positive cases 7,087, new cases 249, deaths 39, discharged 4,683, active cases 2,365, people tested so far 2,80,964. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)