Pandemic is far from over – Health dept.

Our Reporter
Dimapur, March 6 (EMN): The number of new and active Covid-19 cases in the state may have decreased over the past few weeks but the department of Health and Family Welfare has warned that the pandemic is far from over and cases can spike any time.

Citing the surge in new cases in India after witnessing a downward trend for some time, the Health department stated in its weekly bulletin that “Covid-19 comes in waves and we cannot predict when the next surge will be”.

India registered 18,327 fresh Covid-19 cases and 108 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s active caseload to 1,80,304. A total of 1,28,597 cases and 831 deaths were recorded in the past week ending March 5.

An update from Health department informed that complacency around Covid-19 appropriate behaviours and other relaxations of public health and social measures are responsible for the current surge.

Nagaland recorded 12 fresh cases and no deaths in the past week ending March 5. One more case was detected in Kohima on Saturday, taking the state’s tally to 12211, and another patients in the state’s capital recovered on the same day.

As per Health department’s daily Covid-19 update, the state currently has 15 asymptomatic cases, 11952 recoveries and 91 deaths, out of which 10 are “not Covid-related”. Kohima has 14 asymptomatic cases and one in Dimapur while the remaining nine districts are Covid-free.

Warning about the dangers of complacency, the department stated that the numbers can spike any time if SOPs are flouted.

“This is evident from countries and regions across the globe. As Covid-19 fatigue makes it difficult for citizens to adhere to Covid-19 appropriate behaviours, it is critical to ensure precautions are taken in high-risk settings. Schools, colleges, places of worship, offices, restaurants, any social gatherings, shops and markets should ensure all SOPs are in place to avoid any super spreader event,” read the weekly bulletin.

High-risk groups need vaccination

The Health department stressed on the need to protect the high-risk groups such as senior citizens aged 60 years and above and those with comorbidities between 45-59 years of age, citing 84% of Covid-19 deaths in the state being associated with comorbidities. “The earlier the vaccine, the safer is the individual,” it stated.

“The state data on Covid-19 deaths indicate hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney/ liver diseases are the most common associated diseases with Covid-19 deaths,” it said, adding that high-risk groups have been prioritised for vaccination as they are at the highest risk of infection, severe disease, or death.

Meanwhile, State Immunication Officer Dr. Ritu Thurr updated that 42,628 doses of Covishield have been administered across the state till Saturday without any adverse events that need medical intervention. The number of senior citizens aged 60 years and above and those aged between 45-59 with specified comorbidities, who have received Covid vaccine till date is 826 and 98 respectively.

In the country, a total of 1.94 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin have been administered so far.