Vaccine hesitancy pointing to higher fatality
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 7
The COVID-19 graph in Nagaland plotted an upward trajectory with 44 percent more cases reported during the week than previously. The total for the week (July 31-August 6) was 732 fresh cases against the previous week’s 597. The weekly caseload had dipped for two consecutive weeks prior.
At 384, more than half of the week’s cases were detected through random/self test, 219 were traced contacts, 57 front-liners, 36 travellers and 36 security forces personnel.
Kohima (231 cases) and Dimapur (190 cases) accounted for more than half of the week’s total. Mokokchung reported 94 and Peren- 57, while the weekly tally in the other districts were less than 50. These were out of 11,770 samples tested.
A slight increase in recovery occurred with 584 cases reported recovered from across the state. District-wise, Kohima reported 261 recoveries, Dimapur- 97, Mokokchung- 90, Peren- 35, Mon- 21, Phek and Tuensang- 19 each, Wokha- 17, Kiphire- 14, Longleng- 8 and Zunheboto- 3.
The state also recorded 85 hospital admissions during the week, dropping from 128 of the previous week. Dimapur reported 31 admissions, Kohima- 25, Mokokchung- 18, while it was below 5 in Peren, Tuensang, Mon, Phek and Wokha. Three districts reported nil hospital admissions.
‘Red zone’ Kohima
The sample positivity rate for the week was 6 percent, the same as last week.
While the second wave may have passed, Kohima has continued to remain in the situational COVID ‘red zone’ maintaining 10-plus positivity since the record highs of May. The positivity in the state capital increased to 16 percent, while two other districts— Peren and Longleng returned 11 percent positivity.
Mokokchung was at 8 percent, while Dimapur and Wokha were at 6 percent.
Fatalities and vaccines
There was no let up in fatalities with 21 more COVID deaths reported during the week. 11 were reported in Dimapur, 4 in Kohima, 2 in Mokokchung and 1 each in Peren, Mon, Wokha and Tuensang. The Case Fatality rate increased to 2 percent, more than the country’s 1.34 percent and almost at par with the worldwide 2.12 percent.
The state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme’s (IDSP) weekly COVID roundup informed that hypertension and diabetes remain the most associated co-morbidity among Covid-19 deaths. While stating that 99 percent of Covid-19 victims since March 2021 were not fully vaccinated, it added, “90% of deaths have not received even a single dose.”
“Although the main aim of vaccines is to break the link between positive cases and hospital admissions/ deaths, it can also reduce transmission to a great extent. Only 12 percent of total cases since March’21 were vaccinated with a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine which is just 0.32percent of the total vaccinated people with at least one dose.”
100% vax in 60 villages
The IDSP further informed that 60 villages in the state have achieved 100 percent vaccination of eligible beneficiaries.
13 of the villages with 100 percent vaccination were in Zunheboto, 12 in Dimapur, 9 in Mokokchung, 6 in Kiphire, 5 in Tuensang, 4 in Mon, 3 each in Kohima, Longleng and Peren and 1 each in Wokha and Phek.
Meanwhile, the pace of vaccination slowed down significantly during the week. Nagaland could administer only 19,576 shots during the week as opposed to 37,653 doses administered the last week. Prior to this, the state was reporting 60,000-plus doses a week for six weeks straight.
The total administered, as on August 6, were 7.87 lakh doses, inclusive of 1,57,601 shots of the second dose.
