Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 14
Nagaland clocked the lowest weekly COVID-19 detection rate in four months. The sample positivity rate for the week (August 7-13) was 4.5 percent, the first time since mid-April to drop below 5. Prior to this, the positivity had hovered below 10 but above 5 percent for 9 straight weeks.
The state Integrated State Disease Surveillance Programme’s (IDSP) weekly COVID roundup further informed that all the districts reported less than 10 percent positivity for the week. It dropped to 9 percent in Kohima, while Dimapur continued to maintain 6 percent. Mokokchung and Wokha were at 8 percent.
While stating, “Testing has increased by over 84% from the first week of July 2021,” it added that 13,075 samples were tested in the week, which happened to be the highest number of samples tested in a week so far.
The tally for the week was 591 fresh cases. Three districts— Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung accounted for 3/4th of the total. “All districts, except Wokha, have shown a decline in weekly new cases,” the IDSP informed. Meanwhile, there were 582 recoveries, with Kohima recording 253, Dimapur- 162, Mokokchung- 76, Peren- 25, Phek- 18, Longleng- 17, Tuensang- 15, Mon- 9, Kiphire- 6 and Wokha- 1. Zunheboto did not report a single recovery as opposed to the 31 new cases detected in the district during the same period.
The death toll for the week was 12— Kohima and Dimapur reporting 4 each, Mokokchung- 2 and 1 each in Tuensang and Mon, while 69 COVID patients were admitted to hospitals.
Further, 19,696 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered during the week taking the total of vaccinations to over 8 lakh. The total was inclusive 1,68,147 doses of the second shot.
Hesitancy costing lives
Unwillingness to test and delaying seeking medical help, as per the IDSP, have cost many lives. As many as 193 COVID patients or 40 percent of patients, who were admitted to hospital during the second wave, succumbed within 24 hours of admission “signifying very late arrival with advanced symptoms.”
Further, it informed that 14 patients were brought dead to hospital and 31 deaths happened under home isolation during the second wave.
“Stigma around Covid-19, not wanting to test, waiting at home till worsening of symptoms is proving to be very costly as most patients come to the hospital when there is little hope of survival.”
It reminded that Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur, the three states in the Northeast with the lowest vaccination coverage, have the highest case fatality rate.
