OUR REPORTER AIZAWL, DEC 23
At least 139 people have returned to Mizoram from different foreign countries after Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in South Africa in November, an official statement said. During a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation in the state chaired by health minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana on Wednesday, it was pointed out that the139 returnees were screened with Rapid Antigen Test on their arrival at Lengpui Airport and two of them, who returned from Australia and Singapore, have tested positive for COVID-19, the statement said.
The two infected returnees were admitted at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) and their samples were sent to Kolkata for genomic sequencing and their results are expected by next week, it said.
The remaining returnees were placed under quarantine as per protocols, it said.
The meeting mentioned that a trial run for genomic sequencing laboratory in Zoram Medical College (ZMC) has been already conducted and sample test results were sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
Genomic sequencing will be done at ZMC once official permission is obtained, it said. Omicron variant of COVID-19 was first detected in Southern Africa on November 19. Since then the variant has spread to over 100 countries, including India.
So far, more than 200 Omicron cases have been detected in 10 Indian states. The Omicron variant is thrice more transmissible than the Delta variant of COVID-19.
According to state nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and official spokesperson on COVID-19 Dr. Pachuau Lalmalsawma, Mizoram registered an average of 197 COVID-19 cases in a single day between December 1 and 21. He said that the average single-day positivity rate between December 13 and 19 was 7.2 per cent.
The COVID-19 situation in the state is still not under control as the average single-day positivity rate is higher than the WHO guideline of 5 per cent, he said. According to state health department, the state now has 23 COVID Care Centres with 1,476 beds, 88 Community COVID Care Centres with 2,628 beds, 20 Dedicated COVID Health Centres with 332 beds and 2 intensive care units and a Dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 306 bedded wards and 48 bedded Intensive Care Units.
(Source: The Mizoram Post Vol 19 Issue 202 Aizawl Friday 24 December 2021 http://www.themizorampost.net/page-view?date=24-12-2021&page_no=1)