• Record 84 more succumbs
• Slight drop in detection
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 29
The COVID-19 death toll in Nagaland continued mounting for the third straight week. The state recorded 84 more fatalities during the week (May 22-28)-- the highest number of lives claimed in a week so far. 58 of the deaths occurred in Dimapur.
It took the Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) or death rate to 1.6 %, well above the country’s 1.2 %. Only Uttarakhand (1.9), Delhi (1.7) and Sikkim (1.7) had higher CFR, while Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya and Andaman & Nicobar had CFR equivalent to that of Nagaland, as per covid19india.org.
Meanwhile, the state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), in its weekly COVID roundup released on May 28, noted that COVID-19 deaths follow a week or more after increase in cases. It projected the fatality curve “to plateau in a week unless there are no new infections.”
Meanwhile, 21 % of deaths have happened within 24 hours of arrival to a hospital “signifying arrival with very advanced symptoms,” while 10 deaths have been reported during home isolation.
Detection drops: After recording new single-week highs for 4 consecutive weeks, case detection made a downward curve this week (May 22-28).
The tally for the week was 1,622 new cases, dropping from the record high of 2,062 cases of the previous week. It included 884 random/self test, 567 traced contacts, 37 armed forces personnel, 20 traveller/returnees and 114 frontline workers.
District-wise, Dimapur reported 662, Kohima- 460, Tuensang- 135, Mokokchung- 110, Phek- 95, Zunheboto- 64, Kiphire- 27, Wokha- 26, Longleng- 17, Mon- 14 and Peren- 12.
The total recoveries across the state was 1,109 during the week.
The weekly detection rate also went below 20 for the first time in 4 weeks, dropping to 19.6 % against the previous week’s 21.3 %.
Collated against the covid19india.org data, it implied a 1.1 % growth in daily new infections in between May 21 - May 28. This projection was at 1.6 % a week ago.
Meanwhile, the overall sample positivity rate for the state increased to 11.1 %. The increase in positivity can be attributed to a drop in tests. This week’s cumulative sample testing was 8,279 against 9,811 tests of the week before. In other words, the sample test ratio dropped to 88 per thousand population from 96 per thousand.
While other states have seen a relative drop in detection, the IDSP reminded, “In the last 24 hours, increase in the number of active cases have been reported only from the North Eastern States.”
Lockdown effect: On the effect of the containment measures, the IDSP stated that daily cases “usually decrease two weeks or more after a lockdown.” “There has been a small decline but it has to be sustained with more measures for a full 28-day cycle. Decline has been more in Dimapur.”
According to it, a number of districts have witnessed an increase in sample positivity. Only Mon and Peren had weekly positivity rates below 10 % with the other districts hovering at 15 % and above. The weekly positivity rate in Zunheboto, Kohima and Dimapur was at 25 %, 23 % and 21 %, respectively.
It also stated that hospital admissions and cases may continue or remain steady for a week or more even with lockdown.
