Mizoram has sounded alert for the second wave of Covid19 as the state began to register a spurt in positive cases since late March after a brief lull between December 2020 and February this year.
The state spokesperson for Covid19, Pachuau Lalmalsawma, issued a statement on Thursday and said the state government has sounded alert in view of the second wave of Covid19.
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“Considering the present Covid19 scenario in Mizoram, there is a high chance of being in a dangerous position. This (statement) is the second Covid-19 alarm bell,” said Pachuau, who is also the state nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
Mizoram health minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana said the state is in precarious and vulnerable condition as the state has witnessed the second wave of Covid19 spread.
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“If the present situation (rise in Covid19 cases) continues like this, it can be hazardous for the state and unless preventive measures are taken in time the situation can go from bad to worse,” the Mizoram health minister told reporters on Thursday.
He said the state government would step up vigil at all entry points along the inter-state and international borders and would soon issue a new guideline in view of the second wave.
After a dip in COVID19 for a brief period, Mizoram began to register a spike in Covid19 cases since March last week triggering alarm on the state machinery.
In the past one week, Mizoram has registered 46 Covid19 cases, of which 34 patients (74%) have returned from other states, while 5 people have direct contact with positive patients and it is yet to ascertain how 7 patients were infected by the virus.
Lalthangliana said the Mizoram government is mulling to introduce RT-PCR to replace Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for diagnosing returnees at Lengpui Airport as some returnees, who tested negative on their arrival, have later developed symptoms and eventually found infected with Covid19.
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“We will also step up vigil at Lengpui airport and other entry points along the inter-state and international borders as the majority of the recent Covid19 cases were made up by the returnees,” he said.
Mizoram shares inter-state borders with northeastern states of Tripura, Assam and Manipur.
The state also shares a 722-km border with neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Rapid Antigen Tests are used in Lengpui Airport and other entry points along the inter-state or international borders to screen returnees.
The health minister stressed the need to be more cautious and urged the people to strictly adhere to Covid-19 appropriate behaviours.
He alleged people are not maintaining Covid19 appropriate behaviours after Covid19 protocols were relaxed following a dip in infection rate.
“We will focus on more preventive measures instead of wasting money on treatment. We can’t remain complacent as the new variant is more dangerous and Mizoram is also vulnerable to this strain. According to experts, there is no reason to believe that the vaccine will become effective,” Lalthangliana said.
So far, Mizoram has not reported the new variant strains of Covid19, according to the health minister.
He said at least 200 samples were sent outside the state for analysis.
Earlier on Wednesday, Lalthangliana held interaction with leaders of churches, NGOs, village council association and Aizawl local council association urging them to put on more efforts to curtail the spread of Covid19.
He said residents of Aizawl district should be more vigilant as about 80% of the state’s total Covid19 cases were reported from the district.
Mizoram on Thursday reported 14 new cases, which was the highest single-day spike in nearly 3 months since January 10.
The total Covid19 cases in Mizoram now stand at 4,522, of which 57 are active.
With the recovery of 3 persons on Thursday, a total of 4,454 people have recovered from the infection so far.