Detection rate still way above national average
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 5
Nagaland recorded the lowest single week sample positivity rate in 4 months but still returned a high positivity rate on the whole, well above the national average.
As per the latest COVID weekly roundup published by the state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Health & Family Welfare, on December 5, the state’s COVID-19 sample positivity rate remains one of the highest in the country at 9.9 percent against the national 6.5 percent. As on December 5, Nagaland has tested a total of 1,14,417 samples.
This week’s (November 28-December 4) case-count of 214 has been the lowest since the 186 reported in between September 22-29. The positivity rate for the week worked out to 10 percent. For comparison, the last time the weekly sample positivity rate went below 10 percent was during August 30-September 4.
District-wise, Dimapur’s positivity rate worked out to 13.4 percent and Kohima’s worked out to 10.1 percent.
The death toll for the month of November was 23, the most COVID-19 deaths in a month, till date. As per the report, 32 percent of deaths happened within 48 hours of admission in COVID the hospital, which, it added, signified late reporting of cases or “patients coming to the hospital very late in advanced stages.”
67 percent of deaths have been below 60 years of age and 20 percent were reported to have not had any known co-morbidity. The death rate was .51 percent against the national 1.45 percent.
Traced contacts
The percentage of positive traced contacts increased to 39 percent or 4435 of the total 11,340 total confirmed cases in the state, as on December 5. Overall, the percentage of armed forces reduced to 40 percent or 4574 of the total confirmed cases, returnees- 16 percent or 1784 cases and front line workers- 5 percent or 547 cases.
“The most affected age group among the traced contacts is 21-40-year age group who could be inadvertently spreading the virus to the higher risk groups. This is evident by the constant increase in positivity among the 60 plus age group (6% of traced contacts),” the report said, adding that there was 1 percent increase in the 60-plus age group this week.
There has been no down trend in spread in households and work-places, which remained consistent at 29 percent and 24 percent, respectively, while, making it the most common places of infection in the community. The positivity rate among students was 19 percent.
Detection of cases among people coming to flu clinics increased to 12 percent from 11 percent previously. The IDSP termed this trend as worrisome “as these people do not fall under contact tracing.”
Spread in public transport have also increased with the report stating, “Positivity among taxi drivers (17 cases) have increased in the last two weeks.”
It advised all taxi drivers and passengers to wear masks, leaving windows open, using hand sanitisers and limiting passengers as per the SOP. It further called for taxi drivers to desist from crowding at the taxi stands.
Low testing rate
Despite the high sample positivity rate, Nagaland continued with a relatively low testing rate. The state was testing on average 55.9 per thousand persons against a national average of 108.2 per thousand. The recovery rate was at par with the country’s 94.2 percent.
