• Case detection, fatalities drops
• Positivity rate still high
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 5
For the first time since the second wave hit, Nagaland has recorded higher COVID-19 case recoveries than detection. The state registered 1,379 recoveries during the week (May 29-June 4) against a total detection of 1,172 fresh cases.
There were 4 days during the week, in which recoveries outnumbered detection, indicating a downward shift in the second wave’s trajectory.
For 9 consecutive days (May 27-June 4), the daily case-count in Dimapur has not gone beyond the 2-figure mark. As for Kohima, the daily count remained in double digit figures since May 22. While districts like Mokokchung, Phek and Wokha have seen a relative increase in cases.
The death toll also dropped slightly this week after returning record high fatalities for three consecutive weeks prior.
The state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), in its weekly COVID roundup released on June 5, noted, “Total new cases are showing a decline for two weeks in a row. Deaths also show a small decline for the first time in a month.”
This week’s 1,172 cases was the lowest weekly tally in 5 weeks. Dimapur reported 396, Kohima- 296, Mokokchung- 142, Tuensang- 98, Phek- 58, Zunheboto- 49, Mon- 43, Wokha- 40, Kiphire- 25, Longleng- 14 and Peren- 11.
It is also to be noted that 89 percent of the week’s tally were cases detected through random/self tests and contact tracing.
Fatalities
The total deaths reported this week was 71. More than a half or 37 of the fatalities occurred in Dimapur, 16 in Kohima, 5 each in Mokokchung and Phek, 3 each in Kiphire and Zunheboto, and 1 each in Tuensang and Mon.
As on June 4, the total COVID death toll in Dimapur stood at 280, followed by 66 in Kohima, 19 in Mokokchung, 11 in Phek, 10 in Zunheboto, 5 in Mon, 4 each Kiphire and Tuensang, and 3 in Wokha. Only Peren and Longleng were still to report a fatality.
The state’s Case Fatality Ratio was at 1.8 percent against the country’s 1.2 percent.
According to the IDSP, 52 percent of deaths have happened within 2 days of admission to a hospital “signifying very late arrival with critical symptoms.” While stating that 21 deaths occurred under home isolation and did not even reach the hospital, it added, “This calls for strict monitoring of symptoms under home isolation and immediate referral before it is too late. Wait and watch is proving costly.”
Sample positivity
The incidence or sample positivity rate for the state was still high at 11.4 percent. Scaled down to the last 7 days or the weekly positivity rate, it worked out to 16 percent, only below Kerala’s 17.6 percent and Goa’s 17.4 percent. In other words, Nagaland returned the third highest positivity rate among the states and union territories in India.
Conversely, as per covid19india.org, the average daily new infections in the state dropped to 0.8 percent in the last one week from 1.1 percent previously.
Meanwhile, the state continued to maintain a sluggish testing rate, which was hovering at 91 tests per thousand population. For comparison, Mizoram was testing at the rate of 336 per thousand population.
