Nagaland Govt fully prepared if fourth wave of COVID-19 arise

KOHIMA: Urging people not to panic, the Nagaland government on Saturday said it is fully prepared in case a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hits the state.

Addressing a press conference, the state’s health commissioner and secretary Y Kikheto Sema said the state is fully prepared with better infrastructure and manpower to fight the emerging challenges.
He said that there has been a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country in the last four weeks, but no case has been reported in Nagaland.

He added that the government is in touch with states including Assam where cases are increasing.
Sema claimed that there is no need to panic as the fourth wave of the pandemic is not as severe as the first and second waves.

Nagaland was unprepared and caught by surprise during the first wave of the disease, he said, adding that the state’s health infrastructure has been largely improved.

Sema said that we are fully prepared to face any challenge and there is no need to panic as far as Nagaland is concerned.
He said that the last case of COVID-19 was detected in the state on February 11.

A total of 35,988 cases and 856 deaths were reported in the state, the official said.

He said that a mock drill will be conducted on April 10 and 11 on preparations for Covid.

“We will not let our people fall victim to the virus like in the first two waves, because now we have better infrastructure and manpower,” Sema said.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) nodal officer Nyanthung Kikon said the state is testing all acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Sema said the recruitment of teachers and other staff for the state’s first medical college in Kohima would be completed by the end of this month, and all efforts were being made to prepare the infrastructure by June.

Representatives of the National Medical Council (NMC) have inspected the functioning of the college twice in the last three months, and final approval is awaited for commencement of academic activities.