In-charge of Dimapur for COVID-19 activities, Y Kikheto Sema, inspecting BSL -2 installation at CIHSR on June 15. (Morung Photo)
1 more expected within few days; another CCC identified
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 15
Two days after the Dimapur-based civil societies urged the state government to provide additional TrueNat machines to the district, Dimapur received two such machines on Monday.
Appreciating the government for immediate positive response, In-charge of Dimapur for COVID-19 activities, Y Kikheto Sema, said the two machines were being readied at the State Institute of Health & Family Welfare, Chümoukedima.
“We are expecting to set the two machines ready by tomorrow (June 16) and will accord priority to test the samples collected from Chümoukedima and Medziphema areas to reduce the transportation time to COVID-19 hospital where there is already one machine,” he said.
The in-charge also informed that another machine was expected to be received by Dimapur within the next few days and the same was likely to be installed at Ganeshnagar quarantine centre (QC) to save time in between transportation of samples.
Dimapur now has three TrueNat machines and with another one expected soon, the district would be having four such machines and a BSL 2 facility very soon.
Kikheto informed that on an average, 25 tests could be conducted per day with the TrueNat machine but with growing familiarity of operating the machine by the staff in the coming days, a maximum of 40 tests could be conducted per day.
On Monday, Kikheto inspected the progress of setting up BSL-2 at Christian Institute of Health & Sciences Research (CIHSR) and interacted with its Director Dr Sedevi Angami and the technicians involved in the set up of the laboratory.
Expressing satisfaction with the progress of setting up the laboratory, Kikheto was optimistic that the facility would be ready by the end of this week. He lauded all those involved in the work and thanked the government and the civil societies of Dimapur for their support and cooperation towards the common fight against the pandemic.
He also acknowledged that Dimapur has been getting faster test results from the BSL 3 facility in Kohima and Dibrugharh for the last couple of days.
SIHFW converted to COVID-19 Care Centre
The State Health & Family Welfare, Chümoukedima which was earlier used as a QC has now been converted to COVID-19 Care Centre (CCC) with 100-bedded facility. However, Kikheto said that the CCC would be activated within few days and all necessary equipments would be provided accordingly. He said that the facility would be run by the Chief Medical Officer in coordination with the CIHSR and that the Centre would also be treating COVID-19 patients.
Appeal to private institutions
Stating that he has received several requests from colleges in Dimapur to relieve their institutions being utilized as quarantine centres, Kikheto appealed all such institutions to bear with the authorities for some time since after the arrival of tomorrow’s special train, almost 85%-90% of returnees would have arrived.
“We will honour their request and slowly we will make an exit from all private educational institutions in a phased manner. By the end of this month we should be able to free all private institutions from being used as quarantine centres,” he added.
Appeal to returnees
With the 7th and the last Shramik Special Train arriving Dimapur tomorrow from Delhi, Kikheto appealed the returnees to not throw out food packs and other wastes from moving vehicles. He appealed all those returnees who have overstayed at their respective QCs to bear with the authorities as additional facilities have come in and all steps would be expedited for faster delivery of services.
In this connection, Kikheto also opined from a layman’s view that all those who have completed 28 days institutional quarantine may not require further quarantine at homes or community quarantine centres once they are released by the government. However, he added that it was up to the medical practitioners to decide on such cases.
He said some of the returnees from Delhi tomorrow would be sent to Ganeshnagar where more than 600 persons are housed now.
Only 33 patients in COVID-19 hospital Dimapur
With the recent increase in recovery cases at COVID-19 Hospital Dimapur, the hospital is now left with only 33 patients till the time of filing this report. Another 7 patients are at the COVID Hospital at ARTC Shokhuvi. He encouraged all the remaining patients at Dimapur hospital and Shokhuvi not to panic reiterating that they were all at their prime age with strong immunity and would soon recover like the rest.
Willing to accommodate other districts’ patients
The Dimapur in charge also expressed readiness and willingness of the district to accommodate patients of other districts stating that the rising recovery of patients at COVID-19 hospital Dimapur and identification of one CCC at SIHW has created more space. In this connection, he informed those districts facing problems in accommodating its patients to intimate the Dimapur COVID-19 authorities.
Dimapur recovery rate at 65.79%
Kikheto also informed that the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients for Dimapur stood at 69.79% so far while the state recovery rate stood at 52.38% as against the national recovery rate of 40%.
