Finer details of ravages wreaked by Covid spelt out
Not safe enough for opening schools: Rajo
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 16 2021: Even though COVID-19 related fatality and active cases have declined considerably in the State, the situation is still not safe enough for re-opening schools, said Health Director Dr K Rajo.

Briefing media persons on COVID-19 at State Ophthalmic Cell, Lamphelpat this afternoon, Dr Rajo informed that the Health Directorate discussed about the feasibility of re-opening schools under certain conditions in case the positivity rate drops to five per cent and COVID-19 related fatality declines further.

The conditions discussed at the meeting included sending students to schools in batches, wearing of mask, strict adherence to physical distancing norm and SOP.

School authorities should take up necessary hygiene and sanitisation measures and classrooms should be fitted with more exhaust fans, Dr Rajo continued.

All teaching and non-teaching staff should be fully vaccinated; students should not be allowed to mingle together during breaks; transportation of students should not be done in groups by vans or buses.

Either private transportation should be arranged or vans/buses should carry much lesser number of students than their actual capacities, the Health Director conveyed as discussed at the meeting.

However the question of opening schools cannot be decided by the Health Directorate alone, it needs consultation with the higher authority and the department concerned, he said.

Finer details of ravages wreaked by Covid spelt out

As of now, there is no intimation from the school authority about re-opening schools nor have they sought any opinion from the directorate, Dr Rajo said.

To a query, he said that many people who have recovered from Covid suffer from breathing difficulty and fatigue.

Such cases should be properly diagnosed and treated for the lungs have been affected.

Informing that post-Covid OPD and wards have been opened at RIMS and JNIMS, he advised all the people who have recovered from Covid to check oxygen level regularly.

If the oxygen level is below 94 per cent, one needs to be assisted with oxygen concentrator or oxygen cylinder.

They may also consult physiotherapists for lungs related exercises, he said.

If the third wave of COVID-19 sweeps through the State/country as opined of some experts, it is believed that children would be more vulnerable, he stated.

Even if the third wave breaks out, the State Task Force has been set up and due preparations have been initiated, Dr Rajo informed.

MOs have been trained and Government as well as private healthcare facilities have been instructed to reserve ICU beds for children.

The State Government has already signed an MoU with an NGO named e-Governance Foundation to install three ICU beds each in district hospitals/CHCs of all the newly created districts, he informed.

Selco Foundation, another NGO, has agreed to install solar power plants in PHCs and HWCs located at far off and remote areas so as to keep running cold chain systems where Covid vaccines are stored.

The third wave may or may not come but the COVID-19 situation is still not fully contained.

As such, all the people need to adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour, get vaccinated and tested, if there is any doubt, said the Health Director.

On SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, Dr Rajo said that 2054 samples were sent for testing and results of 1002 have been received.

Of the 1002 samples, 771 were of Delta variant, 121 of AY 12, 62 of AY 4, one of AY 5 and three of AY 6.AY 12, AY 4, AY 5 and AY 6 are all sub-lineage of the Delta variant, he said.

Further, four samples were found to be of Alpha variant, one of Beta variant, five of Kappa variant, six of B 1 early variant and three of variant of no concern (non VoC) .

Of all the people who had died due to COVID-19, 64.02 per cent had co-morbidity while 35.98 per cent had no co-morbidity, he said.

So far, 185 people who had been administered with the first dose of Covid vaccine had died whereas the number of people who had succumbed to the virus even after receiving the second dose is 8 .

The first wave claimed two children in 0-15 age group while the second wave killed four children in the same age group.

The first wave and second wave killed nine and 33 people respectively who were in the age group of 16-30 .

The first wave and second wave claimed 43 people and 208 people who were in the age group of 31-35 .

Altogether 108 people in the age group of 36-60 were killed in the first wave while the second wave claimed 410 people belonging to the same age group.

The maximum number of Covid fatality was suffered by people in the age group of 61-75.The first wave killed 138 while the second claimed as many as 529 people.

The combined figure constitutes 36.80 per cent of the total fatality, Dr Rajo said.

The first wave and the second wave further claimed 62 people and 240 people respectively who belonged to the age group of 76-90 .

Three people in the age group of 91-100+ were killed in the first wave while the second wave claimed 38, he added.