‘No certainty that the next wave of coronavirus will not come,’ Nagaland citizens warned

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 6 (EMN): Despite the decline in the rate of Covid-19 positive cases in the past one week, Health officials in Nagaland have cautioned the public not to be complacent as ‘there is no certainty that the next wave will not come’.

Addressing a press conference in Kohima on Sunday, officials of the directorate of Health and Family Welfare, including Principal Director Dr. Vizolie Z Suokhrie; State Nodal Officer of IDSP, Dr. Nyanthung Kikon; and Deputy Director Kikameren Longkumer, advised the people not to let their guard down as ‘coronavirus is here to stay.’

‘It is a positive sign that the rates are coming down in the state. But that doesn’t mean the positive cases will come down. We do not know when the second wave will come,’ said Suokhrie.

According to him, the number of testing conducted in Nagaland is not less than any other state. ‘We are doing enough and we will still increase as and when required. Enough testing is being done. For a state like Nagaland, testing has crossed more than 50,000, which itself is a big achievement,’ he said.

Kikon informed that the backlogs of the samples have now reduced to a point where it can give test results within 24 hours. ‘For the small state like Nagaland, the number of tests required and the number of tests done is at the optimal level presently,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Longkumer said that the present average of testing is about seven to eight hundred in a day and can be increased.

‘But the testing should be rational and on a need basis. It is not that one person is tested repeatedly, more people should be tested and that should be the motive,’ he stated.

The doctor also said that the RT-PCR test is ‘very sensitive’ and it will pick up even the test cells of the virus and that’s how it gives ‘false positives’.

Testing at private hospitals

Longkumer said that the department has allowed, and is encouraging, all the private hospitals in the state to initiate testing for Covid-19.

‘Some are in the process of registration while some are in the process of procuring the necessary devices. One of the issues with the private hospitals in the state is the shortage of microbiologists or pathologists,’ he informed.

According to the guidelines of National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), a pathologist or a microbiologist is required for Covid-19 testing. ‘However, hospitals do not have the microbiologist or pathologist though they have the capacity to buy the equipment.

‘Therefore, the department has written to ICMR and government of India to relax that norm because any trained person can also conduct the testing. The department is yet to receive a reply from the Centre. But stock measures have been arranged to ramp up with the existing testing system,’ Longkumer added.

The department is also encouraging Army and other paramilitary forces to have their own testing facilities.

‘If they have the resources, the department does not have any objection for them to go ahead. As for the technical support, the department is there to intervene,’ he assured.

The principal director said that although a good number of private hospitals in Dimapur and Kohima have applied for registration, the department’s intention is to encourage all private hospitals in the state to have the testing facility.

“Coronavirus has come to stay for some time and just because of one coronavirus testing certificate, we cannot deny healthcare to any patient who comes to us,” Suokhrie added. ‘The department has already discussed with the private practitioners and are facilitating testing,’ he said.

OPD service at NHAK

The Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK), which has been activated as Covid-19 hospital, will soon become fully functional for general OPD and all normal essential services including the oncology department, according to the principal director. ‘This initiation has been taken already, by this week, the normal services will start,’ he informed.

He also informed that ‘about four’ Covid-19 positive mothers have delivered healthy babies in Mon, Dimapur, and Kohima. So far, there is no record of any ‘infant mortality or maternal mortality due to Covid-19’. 

As for the Covid-19 positive cases, Chedema Covid-19 hospital is still available for moderate and severe cases, and Meriema Covid care centre (CCC) is there for asymptomatic persons.

Dimapur District Hospital has now been divided into Covid-19 as well as non-Covid-19 hospital as it has an advantage of multiple buildings, he shared. Covid care centre is available.

As for the under-trial prisoners (UTP) who were tested positive for Covid-19, he said that they will be taken to either Covid-19 hospital or to a CCC depending on the severity of the symptoms. However, they have to be guarded by the police, the officials said. It may be mentioned that in CCC at Chümoukedima, a separate centre has been made for UTP.

Till September 6, a total of 38 positive patients were at the Covid-19 hospital; 391 at Covid care centre; and 42 persons were under home isolation. It may be mentioned that the number does not include personnel from the military and paramilitary forces.

The principal director said that all the death cases of Covid-19 had severe co-morbidities.

In addition, most of these patients had ‘come to the hospital at the last hour’, he claimed.  Such things should be avoided, he said.

Longkumer also informed that some of the cases were also referred from ‘other districts’ and from Assam as well. Therefore, not all Covid-19 deaths are necessarily from Dimapur, he clarified.

Kikon said that the BSL-2 lab in Tuensang is fully functional and has the capacity to test more than 5000 samples. The department is now encouraging the neighbouring districts of Mon, Mokokchung, Longleng etc., to send their samples to Tuensang. Currently, the lab does not have an adequate number of samples to be tested, it was informed.