Imlisanen Jamir
One positive from the daily COVID-19 news in Nagaland State has been its steadily increasing recovery rate.
As of now, the State’s recovery has increased to 66 percent, which is above the national recovery rate of 55 percent. Since the middle of last week, in Nagaland, the number of recoveries has outnumbered the number of active cases.
Data for COVID-19 is still a long way from giving a complete picture, but it is encouraging to see that the basic metric of the number of those recovering as a share of confirmed infections is showing improvement.
The State has also been lucky to not report any cases among the general population; all cases have been limited to people in institutional Quarantine Centers, and among those who have returned from outside the State. According to State Government officials, the quick recovery of the patients is due to the fact that most of the positive cases are young to middle aged persons, with no co morbidities.
It has also been reported that 97% of the COVID-19 positive cases in Nagaland are below the age of 35 years who are all asymptomatic.
However, this is no time for complacency.
What we’ve learned is that the flattening the COVID-19 curve is going to take longer than first estimated, and the current efforts to strengthen healthcare facilities and reinforce those on the frontlines, especially health care workers need to be maintained.
Along with the improving medical facilities in the State, what is also needed is intensive measures to enable effective quarantining, planning of welfare measures, and participation of people who have recovered in trials for potential therapies such as convalescent plasma transfusion.
There will be a temptation to look at the official recovery rate data and let go of our guard. This can have disastrous consequences. Relaxations are already being gradually implemented. Normality seems to approach ever closer.
All this places enormous responsibility on the people to ensure that they continue to take steps to prevent the spread of the contagion.
Everyone by now knows that wearing masks, practicing social distancing and good hygiene with frequent hand washing are crucial to keeping out the virus.
As we return to our daily lives, it is important to continue these new habits. Never in the past has each person’s action been critical to the health of the population.
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