In terms of criticality of the Covid situation in the Northeast, if a comparison is made between the first and second waves, undoubtedly the latter is giving more pains to the region. At a time when most of the mainland is on the path of recovery, a late manifestation of intensity has brought concern to the Union Health Ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in a virtual meeting with the Chief Ministers of all these states had also reviewed the situation. Extensive analyses are now on to decode the reasons for the alarming spread of the pandemic. Although it will be unjust to pick one single factor as the principal contributor and the current mess, indeed, is a cumulative effect of many such and both governments and citizens have been equally responsible, it appears that ignoring of RT-PCR testing might have a role to play.
It will be astonishing to note how the qualitative aspect of Covid testing alone across this huge region accommodating as many as 8 states has led to the lengthening of the transmission chain, almost undetected. Official data clearly points out that of the share of Covid tests, Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) which now carry the blame of providing false negatives have formed the bulk and RT-PCR tests, the more accurate ones have been minimal. This has resulted in an incorrect data of the actual count of the infected and since the plans of action were based on these inputs, they have turned out to be less effective. Almost all the NE states have given minimal importance to RT-PCR tests, except for Sikkim. While it has been 12 % in Assam, 19% in Manipur, 17% in Meghalaya and Mizoram, 37% in Nagaland, 73% in Sikkim and 28% in Tripura, it has been just 3% in Arunachal Pradesh. Now that the RT-PCR tests have been given stress, the true positivity rates are getting detected and while the national average weekly was only 2.21 % as of Sunday (July 11), in the NE it was more than 10 % (between July 5-11) in as many as 37 districts, out of a total of 58 similar ones in the whole of the country. It will be difficult to ascertain how deep the penetration of infection has been and only massive RT-PCR tests can give a correct measurement. The question is why it took so late and only after alarming increase of daily cases to realize the lacunae that has resulted in a valuable loss of time and resources.
Along with vaccination, the entire Northeast including Arunachal must take up RT-PCR testing with due importance.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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