Dimapur leads COVID spike with 136 out of 194

August 4, 2020 57 Views No Comment

Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, AUG 3 (NPN)

Despite continuing lockdowns both partial and total, especially in Dimapur and Kohima, COVID-19 cases in Nagaland continue to rise with 194 cases on August 3 recording the highest ever spike till date, surpassing the earlier record of 130 cases on August 1, 2020.

On Monday, the highest single-day spike of 194 COVID-19 positive cases was recorded which also breached the 2000-mark, taking the tally to 2129 cases– 1464 active, 657 recovered, 6 deaths and 2 migrated.

Nagaland Health minister, S. Pangnyu Phom, informed that 194 fresh cases on Monday were detected from out of 845 samples that were tested. Of these, 136 cases were detected from Dimapur, 36 from Zunheboto and 22 from Kohima.

As per the severity of symptoms, 1,462 active cases were asymptomatic, 1 mild, 1 admitted to ICU on oxygen. Out of 6 deaths– 4 died due to COVID, 1 death (positive) but not due to COVID and 1 death under investigation (co-morbidities and positive case).

According to Health department data (positive cases by domicile district), Dimapur recorded the highest number of cases at 917, followed by Kohima- 462, Peren- 331, Mon- 174, Zunheboto- 68, Tuensang- 51, Phek- 30, Wokha- 23, Mokokchung- 18, Longleng- 5, Kiphire- 4 and others- 46.

As per Health department’s status update as on August 3, the highest COVID positive cases were reported from among armed forces personnel- 113 cases (Dimapur-71, Kohima-6. Zunheboto- 36). The cases included returnees- 33, frontline workers-23, traced contacts- 24 and others-1 (related to Nagaland Legislative Assembly session, Raj Bhavan and patients excluding returnees).

Health officials had earlier told media that spurt in cases began in July, after a large number of personnel whose leave were extended in light of the Covid-19 lockdown, were called back to Nagaland.

Talking to The Print, principal director Health & Family Welfare Dr. Vizolie Z. Suokhrie said: “We need to contain this problem. The flow of military and paramilitary forces doesn’t stop because the orders come from the ministry (at the Centre) and we also know the constraints they have.”

With the COVID-19 cases continuing to surpass earlier spikes, a considerable alarm among public that the government’s insistence of these being due to local transmission and not localised community transmission failed to cut much ice.

According to information from various sources, some of those infected with COVID-19 in Dimapur, had no travel history.

A medical specialist had told Nagaland Post that the definition of ‘community transmission’ defies the magnitude of the crisis but he could only confidently say ‘the Wuhan virus’ is going around infecting people indiscriminately.

Some leading experts like AIIMS former director Dr. M.C. Mishra, virologist Shahid Jameel, lung surgeon Dr. Arvind Kumar and eminent epidemiologist Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil on June13, had come out to urge the government to accept that the pandemic reached the community transmission stage “a long time ago”.

They made their appeal soon after the ICMR’s claim, India has still not reached community transmission (Stage-3).

COVID +ve mother delivers; baby is tested negative
A baby delivered by a COVID-positive mother at Eden Medical Centre (EMC) here Sunday through caesarean section, thankfully, tested negative for COVID-19 through TrueNat.

According to EMC director Dr. Lima Imchen, the new born baby would be retested as per the guidelines issued by Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). The result of the mother’s sample for confirmatory RT-PCR was awaited.

Imchen informed that delivery was through caesarean section due to obstetric indications at a makeshift operation theatre at the labour room.
While being admitted, the expectant mother had shown no symptoms of COVID-19 but as per hospital protocol for all incoming patients, her swab sample was tested through TrueNat and later confirmed positive for COVID-19.

The new-born baby was being kept separately from the mother and looked after by medical team of the hospital. Imchen said adequate precautions were taken by the hospital team while tending to the mother before and after delivery.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/dimapur-leads-covid-spike-with-136-out-of-194/220116.html