Crucial days between collection and result : Disturbing trend
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 07 2020 -

Disturbing trend. The numbers continue to rise and it will climb in the coming days.

As on July 5, the total number of positive cases stood at 1366 and perhaps the only point of comfort to date is the information that the number of recovery cases have surpassed the number of active cases, with the number of recovered people put at 689 while the active cases is 677.

The difference is marginal but this reflects the work that has gone into tackling the contagion.

It is also to be noted that Manipur has so far not yet seen any death case due to the global pandemic but this should not be any reason to remain lax or treat the matter casually.

If anything, the figure should tell its own story.

India has now moved upward to occupy the third position in the number of infection, having surpassed Russia with 6,97,413 positive cases while the number of death due to the pandemic has been pegged at 19,693.

Climbing number and what has added to the worries and anxiety of the people are some reports that have come in.

Making it worse is the fact that till date the authority concerned has not deemed it fit to explain how things were allowed to take such a turn.

It was back on June 28 that report was received of how 25 people in quarantine centres in Ukhrul district were declared negative, but in no time another report arrived which said that the 25 persons had tested positive.

Then yet again on June 29, another report came in that 19 out of 24 samples of the same set of 25 people were found negative.

How did this slip up occur is a question that has still not been answered by the authority concerned and this is what is extremely worrying.

It is more like a case of no one being answerable to the people and this is what is hard to digest.

Ukhrul continued to be in the limelight with yet another report coming in on July 2 that a girl who was discharged after undergoing her mandatory quarantine period was found positive, prompting the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul district to declare the locality where the young girl lives as a containment zone.

Something, somewhere went horribly wrong and making the errors all that more unacceptable is the fact that so far no official clarification has come forth.

This is what is hard to accept. The Government will also seriously need to take a fresh look at the interregnum between when the samples are taken and the results are announced.

For example, if the sample of A is taken on June 24 and the result comes out on June 28 declaring him as negative, this should obviously give rise to the question of what if A had contracted the virus on June 27 ?

The result would be of his status on June 24 and not that of June 25 or June 26 or June 27 or June 28 !

How the about the four days period from when his sample was taken and his result was announced ?

These are all possibilities which need to be taken into account.

The latest report of a family of three members that has come in is also a matter of deep concern.

Here is a case of a young child who first tested negative while the parents tested positive on June 28.

The child was sent for home quarantine while the parents were taken to the hospital.

The story does not end here for in yet another retest on July 3, the child was found positive during the home quarantine period compelling the district administration of Imphal West to declare certain parts of Thangmeiband as a containment zone.

The question here is did the child contract the virus at home which is not likely but still a question worth raising.

If it is in the positive then it makes the whole matter all that more complex.