OUR REPORTER AIZAWL, JUNE 2
At least 11 per thousand people in Mizoram are infected with Covid-19 based on the number of state’s total population in 2011 census, an official said.
The population of Mizoram according to 2011 census was 1,091,014.
Mizoram reported its first Covid-19 case on March 24 last year and first Covid-19 death on October 28 that year.
So far the state has registered 12,634 Covid-19 positive patients, which is 1.16 per cent of the total population as per the last census and the death toll has climbed to 44 at the rate of 0.35 per cent.
According to state spokesperson on Covid-19 Dr. Pachuau Lalmalsawma, at least 8,158 Covid-19 cases were reported in two months in the ongoing second wave since April this year against 6,131 cases reported in over 12 months between March 2020 to March 2021, the period labeled as the first wave of the pandemic.
While 11 people have died due to Covid-19 during the first wave, as many as 33 people have so far succumbed to the infection since April this year, he said.
Majority of the Covid-19 victims had comorbid status, he said.
He said that 6,268 Covid-19 cases were detected in last month (May) with Aizawl district contributing the highest cases at 4,363, which accounted 69.62 per cent of the total cases found in the state during last month.
The state reported more than 1,650 Covid-19 cases in April.
The growth rate of Covid-19 cases is alarming in a small state like Mizoram, he said.
While the infection rate in April was 3.10 per cent, it was 7.20 per cent in May.
Of the 6,268 Covid-19 patients detected in May, only 26 per cent have travel history while the rest were locally infected, according to Pachuau.
He said that the local transmission rate now is growing at a much faster pace as compare to the imported cases rate. Quoting a study report, Pachuau attributed the high local transmission rate to complacency, negligence of maintaining Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and sociable life on the part of the people.
He said that Mizoram has a closeknit and friendly society where people used to visit each other in their respective neighbourhood, which could have been one of the main reasons behind the spike in Covid-19 despite lockdown.
He said that lockdowns used to have good impacts in curtailing the chain of Covid-19 transmission last year, but such trend did not happen this year.
Starting from April 20, Mizoram government has imposed lockdown like restrictions, which was followed by a complete lockdown from May 10 in Aizawl and other district headquarters to break the chain of local transmission.
However, complete lockdown was lifted on Monday in other district headquarters barring Aizawl, where it will remain in force till June 7.
Mizoram on Wednesday reported 235 Covid-19 cases with an infection rate of 6.26 per cent. At least 44 people have succumbed to the infection so far.
The state's Covid-19 count is 12,634 of which 3,137 are active.
The recovery rate in the state is 74.83 per cent as 9,453 people have recovered from the infection.
(Source: The Mizoram Post Vol. 18 Issue 351 Aizawl Thursday 03 June 2021 http://www.themizorampost.net/page-view?date=03-06-2021&page_no=1)