Shillong, June 16: The state on Thursday recorded 31 new COVID-19 cases, majority of which are school students, who got themselves tested for attending the NEHU athletic trials.

Of these, 23 are from East Khasi Hills district, 4 Ri Bhoi district, 3 South West Khasi Hills and 1 West Khasi Hills. The total active cases is 42 as of today.

Secretary in-charge Health and Family Welfare RM Kurbah said most of these cases are asymptomatic and are doing fine under home isolation.

Reminding that COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet, Kurbah said there is a need to ensure complete vaccination of all eligible individuals including children of 12 years and above adding that vaccination prevents severe infection, hospitalization, and death.

“Senior citizens should actively take up precautionary doses and children below 18 years of age also should actively consider taking vaccines to protect themselves and their families.

However despite the spike in cases, there are no associated increases in hospitalization or deaths, she said.

“Nevertheless, it is advised that we should not let our guard down and strict adherence to COVID Appropriate Behavior should be followed by all, which include wearing masks at all times, avoiding crowded places or gatherings and focusing on necessary testing. This will not only help the containment of further spread but also enable timely detection of any emerging new variant,” she said.

Meanwhile, the secretary informed that the State has been conducting Genomic Surveillance at Pasteur Institute on a routine basis to detect any new variant and to take prompt action. The details of such variants, if any, will be shared in due course of time, she added.