Agartala, May 20 (TIWN) Four more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, taking the total number of cases in the state to 173, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said.

He said the four persons who tested positive for COVID-19 had recently returned from Chennai and are now under treatment.

"850 samples have been tested for #COVID19 today and among them 4 persons found positive," Deb tweeted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tripura Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday claimed that the state has the highest recovery rate of coronavirus patients in the country.

Tripuras recovery rate is 68.83 per cent while the national average recovery rate is 39 per cent, he claimed.

"India''s national average for COVID-19 recovery rate is 39%... while in Tripura it is 68.63 per cent. Our state is placed highest in the country for recovery of COVID-19 patients", he said.

Of the 173 COVID-19 cases in Tripura, 116 people have recovered.

The minister said Tripura so far has not reported any COVID-19 death. Three BSF battalions located in Dhalai district have reported 160 COVID-19 cases, he said.