Guwahati: Mizoram reported its first Covid-related death after a 66-year-old patient died Wednesday.
The state’s first death comes 218 days after the first case was reported on 24 March.
The patient from Aizawl tested Covid-positive on 19 October and was in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zoram Medical College for the last 10 days, Dr Lalmalsawma Pachuau, state’s Covid-19 nodal officer told ThePrint, adding that the virus could be a “contributing factor” leading to the patient’s death.
“The doctors are still ascertaining the probable cause of death as the patient was also suffering from co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes besides being Covid-positive. He passed away at noon. We were hopeful he would recover as he was to be extubated today. He will be buried at a local cemetery,” Dr Pachuau said.
Covid cases on a rise
The first case in Mizoram was reported seven months ago when a theologian tested positive after returning from Amsterdam where he was pursuing higher studies. After being in the hospital for 45 days, he tested negative on 27 April. The state reported zero cases for the next two months. However, when travel restrictions were lifted and people started returning home from other states, Mizoram saw a gradual surge in cases.
According to officials, it is only recently that the state has been witnessing symptomatic cases that constitute 80 per cent of the total cases in Mizoram.
“For quite some time, most of the Covid-19 positive cases were asymptomatic. It is only since the past two weeks that we are witnessing symptomatic cases with the spread mostly restricted to local people. Previously, we had more cases from the army and paramilitary forces,” said Dr Pachuau.
With a surge in coronavirus cases, a week-long lockdown was imposed in Aizawl Municipal Council area from Tuesday to contain the spread of infection in the state capital.
The state is also seeing a surge in cases among schoolchildren and the elderly. Schools were reopened in the state this month for two days for higher classes — students from Classes 10 and 12 attended school from 17-19 October in view of board exams while those in Classes 9 and 11 also visited school for clearing doubts and with due consent from parents. However, it was announced that all educational institutions in the state will remain closed.
Till 28 October, Mizoram recorded 2,607 positive cases of which 374 are active and 2,233 have recovered. The positivity rate stands at 2.5%.
Also read: There’s a Covid surge in Northeast as infection & positivity rates shoot past India average