Smaller states, difficut to reach areas showing upward Covid trend: Govt
The review said all districts of Mizoram were showing a rise in new cases. Nagaland showed a sharp increase in daily cases. In Assam, Kamrup is contributing almost 45% of the daily new cases, while in Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills and Righboi are reporting sharp increases in daily cases
Smaller states are showing an upward trend and there is a need to be cautious about it, said Union Health minister Harsh Vardhan while reviewing Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation of the north eastern states and West Bengal on Wednesday.
In a statement, the health ministry said the virus was spreading to N-E pockets that are difficult to reach in terms of geography. “There is a new and emerging trend in the country where the smaller states are showing an upward trend,” said Harsh Vardhan.
The review said all districts of Mizoram are showing a rise in new cases. Nagaland shows a sharp increase in daily cases—from 15-20 per day to 300 cases per day— and weekly positivity rate is up from 1% to 34%. Positivity rate is the proportion of people testing positive for an infection among all those tested for it.
In Assam, Kamrup, which is a metropolitan, is contributing almost 45% of the daily new cases, while in Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills and Righboi are reporting sharp increases in daily cases.
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Manipur’s recovery rate of 78% and case fatality rate (CFR) of more than 1% was also highlighted during the meeting as a matter of concern.CFR is the proportion of people dying from a disease among all those diagnosed with it.
Sikkim was advised to strengthen community surveillance and ensure strict monitoring of home quarantine to address its high CFR. In Arunachal Pradesh, ICU occupancy is almost 22.5% while the capital complex and Changlang districts are reporting the maximum cases.
All districts of West Bengal are showing a steep increase in positivity rate. Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Nadia were flagged as districts of concern. In Tripura, there has been a steep rise in positivity from 1.3% in April to around 8.7% now, the minister noted. West Tripura, Unakoti, South Tripura were flagged as districts of concern.
The health minister also said that there is a need to strengthen testing facilities in peri-urban and rural areas. “With changes in guidelines, more and more of rapid antigen tests can be done now, so that the mortality rate can be decreased. There is a need to focus on peri urban and rural areas significantly,” he said.