3 NE states have least number of Covid deaths, Mizoram shows the way with 0.27% fatalities

GUWAHATI: Three northeastern states, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, have figured among the top five Indian states with the lowest death rate in the second wave of Covid-19 sweeping the country.
At 0.27%, Mizoram has the lowest death rate in the country. Arunachal Pradesh (0.36%) and Assam (0.64%) are at the third and fifth positions. Kerala and Bihar are at second and fourth slots with 0.30% and 0.58% death rate respectively as on May 15.
The national mortality rate currently stands at 1.09%, with 4,077 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the health ministry stated on Sunday. Ten states account for 75.55% of the new deaths. Maharashtra recorded the maximum casualties (960), it said. But none of the northeastern states crossed 100 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Hundreds of deaths are being reported from some of the states with higher population, but the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, that has about 17 lakh population, recorded one death in the last 24 hours (on Saturday). There cannot be a better number, if the death cases are analyzed among any province in the world. But even three to five deaths reported daily in the state has been a cause of concern. Last year, the Covid death rate in Arunachal Pradesh was 0.32%. However, the second wave left the hilly state with a death rate of 0.36%. “Arunachal Pradesh is registering 250-280 cases daily of late. These numbers are a bit alarming because during last year’s peak we had a little over 300 daily cases,”Arunachal Pradesh health secretary P Parthiban told TOI.
He said the natural immunity of hard working people living in difficult terrains coupled with proper treatment protocols helped Arunachal Pradesh to be at the bottom of the list. “In a small state like ours, the three to five daily deaths reported last week have been a major concern,” Parthiban added. He felt that Arunachal Pradesh followed the surging pan-India trend during the second wave, even as there was strict vigilance from the state government to check the virus.
In Mizoram, 150-200 daily cases on an average are being reported but the state managed to prevent deaths significantly. No Covid-related deaths were reported since May 12. “We have been able to shift most cases to Covid care centres or hospitals within 12 hours and never later than 24 hours at the most,” Dr Eric Zomawia, Mission Director, NHM Mizoram, said.
He lauded the coordination between the health department, NGOs, churches and the public, for keeping a strict vigil on the situation in the northeastern state where one death was reported throughout the day on Sunday, taking the total Covid-related death toll since last year to 24. A total 180 positive cases were detected from across Mizoram on Sunday.
Assam, the gateway to the northeast, has been the worst affected state in the region, though the situation is far better than other Indian states devastated by the pandemic this year. About 60-80 daily deaths have been a cause of worry for health officials in the state, where home isolation is being blamed for the higher number of casualties.
But health experts said that new restrictions, disallowing people with comorbidities and the 50+ from going for home isolation, is expected to bring down the figure. “Medical colleges in Assam are well equipped and we have prevented many possible deaths. Our focus is to give thorough treatment for four-five days, which has become crucial to survive during the second wave,” said director of medical education, Assam, Dr Anup Kumar Barman.