Guwahati, Jul 13 (PTI) Four more COVID-19 patients, including a senior doctor of the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), died in Assam on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

With this, the death toll due to COVID-19 in the state has risen to 45.

Also Read | Case Filed Against 41 People from Meghalaya Who Attended Wedding in Assam Violating COVID-19 Protocol: Live News Breaking and Coronavirus Updates on July 13, 2020.

In nine of these cases, the Death Audit Board is yet to ascertain whether the "underlying cause of death is COVID-19".

The death of the 56-year-old associate professor of GMCH's oncology department is the first case of a medical fraternity member succumbing to the disease in the state, a senior doctor of the hospital said.

Also Read | Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad Lockdown: PMC Issues List of Activities Allowed and Not Allowed; Here's What's Open and Shut.

He was suffering from cough and fever and his antigen test was negative, following which his swab samples were sent for the RT-PCR test, the doctor said.

The quinquagenarian was in home quarantine. He died while he was being brought to the hospital this morning after his oxygen levels dropped.

The other three patients who died were a 31-year-old man from Golaghat district and two men, aged 30 and 62, from Kamrup Metropolitan district, Sarma said.

The minister held a meeting with principal, superintendent and doctors of the GMCH to discuss the measures being taken for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

" ...discussed how our health facilities and infrastructure can be improved to provide best care against the pandemic," he said in a tweet.

The situation in Guwahati is grim as COVID-19 cases are on the rise and it is "important that we have the highest level of preparedness to deal with the emerging situation", he said.

The state has so far tested 5,63,482 samples, Sarma said.

The total number of cases in Guwahati city has crossed 7,031 since June 24.

A 14-day lockdown from June 28 imposed in Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which Guwahati falls, was extended by a week till July 19 from 6 pm on Sunday.

As of Sunday, Assam had a total of 16,806 COVID-19 cases and 5,873 active cases. PTI DG DIV DIV 07132335 NNNN Disney will clearly complicate that.

“This is one of the mental parts about it that guys have to adjust to, where someone like me, I go home and it's where I kind of relax,” Holiday said.

“I try my best not to bring my work home with me so I can hang out with my wife, my dog, and my daughter and I can do things like that. ... I think that's going to be a little bit of a challenge, especially after like seven to 10 days.”

Likewise, Beal said living in the bubble will hardly be “a walk in the park.”

“We can't just leave. We can't just order whatever food we want. We can't just do activities we want to do. We can't go to our teammates' rooms,” Beal said.

“You're restricted, and you can't do the things that you're normally used to doing.”

The Pelicans' mental health and wellness program is led by team psychologist Jenna Rosen, and New Orleans general manager David Griffin calls it “critical.”

“Let's not kid ourselves. This quarantine situation is going to be very difficult,” Griffin said. “We will work through mindfulness training with Jenna literally every day. ... It's going to be about who can keep themselves in the best frame of mind, quite frankly.”

Mental health has been a priority for the NBA and the NBPA, especially after players like Cleveland's Kevin Love and San Antonio's DeMar DeRozan opened up about their inner struggles.

DeRozan knows it won't be easy at Disney.

“It's tough,” he said. “You're taking guys who've been with their families every single day for the last few months and all of a sudden separating everybody into this one confined space and taking away a lot of joyful things that we do outside of basketball.”

Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has played for Greece's national team, said being away for three weeks during international tournaments was challenging. This trip to Disney could last three months if the Bucks make the NBA Finals.

“Not being able to see your family, being there for three months, playing games with no fans, it's going to be mental,” Antetokounmpo said.

“You've got to push yourself through this.” Daniel Medina, the Wizards' chief of athletic care and performance, said some players are concerned that an interrupted season might make them more prone to injury, which could be career-altering to players with expiring contracts. Some have decided not to play, notably Indiana's Victor Oladipo.

Parham, who helped launch the NBPA's mental health program in 2018, expects many players to handle the resumption well. He noted that after three months of relative isolation at home, they'll be eager to satisfy their appetite for competition.

Still, the unprecedented nature of the bubble, born out of a pandemic blamed for about a half-million deaths worldwide, will present challenges. Another issue, Parham said, is how the restart coincides with the political and social upheaval spawned by the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in police custody.

“Prior to COVID, and prior to these social justice demonstrations, there were sufficient daily distractions for people to not really even think about their stuff. They were just sort of on automatic pilot,” Parham said. “You know what they say: A person will never see their reflection in running water. It is only when the water is still that their reflected image begins to emerge.” (AP)

(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)