Progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in Northeast: Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said there is a progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in all eight Northeastern states but cautioned that the fall in active cases must be followed with greater thrust on vaccination and strict observance of relevant protocols.

At a review meeting with health secretaries of all the eight Northeastern states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim – Singh expressed satisfaction that they were catching up with the national average in terms of the decline in positivity rate.

Meghalaya is the only exception which witnessed a surge due to the Covid-19 cases at a prison in Ri-bhoi district, he said.

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There is a progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in all the eight Northeastern states, the minister added.

Singh, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), was informed that in the Northeastern region, the positivity rate, which was 3.96 per cent on June 30, has gone down to 2.94 per cent on July 2. This is in tune with the national average declining from 2.34 per cent on June 30 to 2.09 per cent on July 2, an official statement said.

All the eight states informed the minister that they were taking regular measures to defeat the second wave of the pandemic, and at the same time, augmenting health infrastructure with support from the central government and the Ministry of DoNER.

The minister cautioned that the decline in active cases must be followed with a greater thrust on vaccination and strict observance of Covid-19 protocol.

Singh said he is in constant touch with all the eight chief ministers of the region, and whatever help is sought by the states is being promptly provided from the Centre.

The minister took note of the vaccine supply issues of Nagaland and Manipur and directed Union Health Ministry officials to address the same on an urgent basis.

Singh said that in the last wave of the pandemic, the Northeast had remained relatively unaffected by the coronavirus in comparison to other states.

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Some states like Sikkim did not have a single Covid-positive case throughout the lockdown period in the first wave, he added.

But in contrast, this year, the Northeastern states have witnessed a significant rise in Covid-19 cases.

In the month of May, during the peak in coronavirus cases in the region, Singh had taken a high-level meeting in the wake of considerable media attention.

He had directed officials to find ways to ensure that the rising graph of coronavirus positive cases in various Northeastern states starts declining or flattening.

The minister had advised that strict measures be implemented, besides extensive testing and contact-tracing.

Singh said he is taking daily updates from all the eight states about the prevalence of Covid-19 and the necessary health facilities and infrastructure to fight the pandemic in an effective manner.