Ziona: Coronavirus outbreak in Mizoram’s largest family

AIZAWL: With 12 of Ziona’s brood testing positive, Covid has infiltrated “Mizoram’s largest family”.
Ziona, spiritual leader of Chana Pawl (cult) and known to the world as the patriarch of the largest family in the world with 39 wives and hordes of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, died on June 13, at the age of 76.
Ziona is survived by 39 wives and almost 200 children and grandchildren
A senior Mizoram health official said of the 2,224 inhabitants of Chhuanthar Tlangnuam village, who are followers of the late Ziona, 1,255 people's samples were tested till 5pm on Friday. Of the 1,255 samples, 80 turned out to be positive, 12 of them Ziona’s immediate family members.
A member of the Chana sect told ToI that around 200 people, comprising Ziona's widows, his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and wives of the latter's sons and grandsons occupied the abode of Ziona, called “Chhuanthar Run”.

Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, state nodal officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP), said there was a call on Friday for more tests after 163 people of the community, who regarded themselves as “Chhuanthar Kohhran” or Church of the New Generation tested positive for Covid-19 during the past one week.
Altogether 243 members of the community are now infected, the health official said.
One of the sons of Ziona said till 5pm, at least 12 members of “Chhuanthar Run”, were found positive, including the children of Nunparliana, the eldest son of Ziona from his first wife.
Nunparliana (61) has two wives and around 15 children and is regarded as head of the large family, if not the whole sect, as the new leader after Ziona's death has not emerged till date.
Meanwhile, mass tests continued for the fourth day, mainly within the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) area where at least 60 per cent of the fresh Covid-19 cases were being detected every day.
Members of the sect who lived in the Chhuanthar Tlangnuam village are extremely close-knit, bonded by the religious belief and blood relationship and extremely vulnerable to the raging Covid-19 pandemic, a senior doctor had earlier said.
The first three persons belonging to the sect were found positive on July 15, necessitating more tests which yielded 163 Covid-19 positives till Thursday.
According to the data available with the IDSP, 399 new cases in the state were detected in the first two days of mass testing, with the figures are yet to arrive for Thursday and Friday.
The total number of Covid-19 infected people in Mizoram (mass test results not yet included) rose to 30,492 on Friday with 7,559 active cases (24.79 per cent of the total infected people) as against the national figure of 1.3 per cent.
While 22,802 people have been cured in the state, the recovery rate is still low at 74.78 per cent as against the national average of 97.36 per cent.
With the death of a 37-year-old man belonging to Mizoram-Manipur border village of Vaitin, the total Covid-19 casualty in the state rose to 131 (0.43 per cent of the total cases).