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PM Modi to review Covid situation in N-E states today

The PM will interact with CMs of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram at 11am via video conferencing on the Covid-19 situation in these states, said a government communiqué

Published on: Jul 13, 2021, 08:25:51 IST
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers of eight northeastern states today morning on coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation, said people familiar with the matter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

“PM will interact with CMs of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram at 11am via video conferencing on the Covid-19 situation in these states,” said a government communiqué.

The northeastern states have shown a spurt in cases of Covid-19 lately with several of the worst affected districts in terms of high case load belonging to these states.

As many as 66 districts in the country are reporting high Covid-19 case positivity of 10% or more. Of these worst affected districts, 39 are from the northeast, according to the data shared by the government last week. Case positivity is the percentage of tests returning positive against the total number of tests conducted for an infection.

Also Read | Delhi runs out of Covishield, multiple states flag vaccine shortage

Last week, Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Guaba also chaired a meeting to take stock of the Covid-19 situation in the northeastern states.

Arunachal Pradesh has the maximum districts, 10, reporting high case positivity, followed by Manipur (9 districts), Meghalaya (6 districts), Assam and Sikkim (4 each), Tripura (3), Mizoram (2) and Nagaland with 1 district reporting more than 10% case positivity.

In one of its recent press briefings on Covid updates of the Union health ministry, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Balram Bhargava, also said the second wave of Covid-19 was far from over and special focus was needed on districts that were reporting high case positivity.

“We are encouraging the northeastern states to do more testing... there is heavy testing going on there...,” he said earlier.

The Centre recently rushed two-member expert teams to Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur, to assist local governments in intensive containment measures.

  • Rhythma Kaul
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rhythma Kaul

    Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More