Nizamuddin event: Officials give conflicting figures of contact tracing in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 2 (EMN):  Two conflicting figures—and reports—were provided by the state authorities in Kohima on Thursday in connection with the number of persons from Nagaland stated to have either attended or been in the vicinity of the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi.   

According to the state nodal officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr. Nyanthung Kikon, one person from Nagaland, who was part of the religious congregation, tested negative after his samples were sent for suspected novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection.

The event in Delhi has come to spotlight after the area where it took place emerged as the largest Covid-19 hotspot in the country yet.

Kikon informed that the government was able to establish the list of names believed to be people from Northeast states who had either attended the gathering or was in the vicinity, contained 64 persons from the state; and reach out to them, subsequently, to access their details through the help of different government agencies.

He informed that, except for one person from Dimapur, those in the list did not attend the religious congregation but were passing through the area. When traced, 34 of them were outside the state, and the rest who had returned to the state were under home quarantine “adhering strictly to the protocol and instruction” of the authorities, he said.

The person who had attended the event was kept in a quarantine facility and his samples sent for testing. The result for the first test returned negative and the second result is awaited, Kikon said.

The person does not show any symptoms related to the novel coronavirus, it was informed.

The figures provided by the Health official, however, differed with that of the government’s spokesperson on Covid-19 issues, Neiba Kronu.

“As regard the tracking of all the individuals from the state of Nagaland about whom information were received of the possibility of either having attended the Nizamuddhin Markaj religious congregation or having been in close vicinity of that place, in New Delhi, where some Covid-19 positive cases have been reported, I would like to inform you that till now contacts have been established with 48 such individuals and out of this, 20 are outside Nagaland,” Kronu said in his daily update.

“Out of remaining 28, there are only two who had attended the congregation, and they have been put under quarantine at our facilities. Further, the samples of these two persons were also sent for testing and it has been found negative. As regard the remaining individuals, they are those who were in the vicinity of that area where congregation was held or had just crossed that location, and they are under home quarantine and none of them are exhibiting any symptoms,” he added.  

Distribution of PPE and others

Meanwhile, Kikon informed that a total of 1,500 personal protective equipments (PPE); 11,000 N95, triple layer masks were distributed to all the districts; while ventilators, cardiac monitors consisting of static and portable were distributed to Dimapur, Kohima and Mokokchung.

The remaining districts will also receive those facilities once the health workers are trained to operate them.

“The training will be conducted at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) and the machine will be distributed accordingly,” he said.

Eight fresh samples sent on April 2

Forty samples have been sent till date from Nagaland for suspected novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases out of which 32 have returned negative, according the state government’s spokesperson on Covid-19 issues, Neiba Kronu.

In an update provided on Thursday, Kronu informed that results for the remaining eight samples were awaited.

“Further, another consignment of essential medical equipment and accessories which was flown in from Delhi to Guwahati yesterday by Indian Airlines has reached Kohima,” he said.

Also, a team from the department of Health and Family Welfare—led by the principal director, Dr. Vizolie Z Suokhrie—visited Mon, Longleng and Tuensang districts on Thursday to oversee the designated Covid-19 quarantine facilities and hospitals, he informed.

“With regard to availability of food and essential commodities, the situation continues to remain normal. The district administration has again been told to monitor the prices and keep the same under control,” Kronu added.