Mizoram remains the only State in India without any COVID-19 fatality, as the death count in the country nears the 1,00,000 mark.
Chief Minister Zoramthanga attributes the zero fatality to the “community discipline” besides the medical fraternity that has been up to the challenge despite limitations.
Microbiologists at Zoram Medical College, the State’s only COVID-19 hospital 15 km south of capital Aizawl, said the factors behind Mizoram’s ability to buck the trend merited research. But they agreed the community engagement in the State played a major role.
By September 28, Mizoram recorded 1,908 positive cases. But the bulk of those who tested positive were personnel of security forces mostly comprising non-locals.
Officials said the rate of positivity among the personnel of security forces had averaged more than 72% from September 26-28. Of the 122 people who tested positive during these three days, 88 were from the security forces.
“Mizoram is a disciplined State where people adhere to suggestions by a special task force constituted for the purpose of checking the spread of the novel coronavirus. The church, NGOs and the administration have coordinated with the people at the grass roots level in the fight against the virus,” Mr Zoramthanga said a few days ago.
YMA’s role
The catalyst for his coordinated approach has been the Young Mizo Association (YMA), an 85-year-old organisation that has extended its community service to both the patients and healthy people during the pandemic.
“We have a network of 4.46 lakh members who formed village-level task forces with members of the village councils to provide basic services in hospitals and quarantine centres. Our members have also been ensuring social distancing,” YMA president Vanlalruata said.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 96,318 out of a total of 6,048,973 people who caught the virus across 35 States and Union Territories have died so far. The corresponding figures for the eight northeastern States are 1,119 dead out of a total of 233,845 positive cases.
Assam leads the COVID-19 table with 667 deaths, followed by Tripura with 276, Manipur 64, Meghalaya 46, Sikkim 34, Nagaland 17 and Arunachal Pradesh 15.
