Even as the State is witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases, the number of infection among non-frontline workers involved in combating the pandemic has reached 16, High Powered Committee (HPC) spokesperson and adviser Mmhonlumo Kikon said.
He said that out of 16, nine were from Kohima, six from Dimapur and one case from another district.
Talking to Nagaland Post, Mmhonlumo explained that most infections happened among the returnees during their travel and inside the quarantine centres, adding that infections had multiplied at quarantine centres He said frontline workers were bound to be infected as had happened everywhere in the world despite taking utmost precautions, adding most States in India were witnessing the same.
When asked on the merits of making the COVID test “paid” and whether the cost of treatment, if found positive after paid testing, would be borne by the state government, he clarified that the government had not come up with any standard operating procedure (SOP) on the matter, though an SOP for paid testing for special categories of people had been put in place.
He said so far there was only one rate of Rs 1,500 for paid TrueNat test for special categories of people entering Nagaland.
On making antigen kits freely available in the market considering its low cost compared to TrueNat and to ease the burden on BSL labs, Mmhonlumo explained that antigen test kits were to be used only in special situations and for particular categories of people, and not as an over-the-counter kit. However, he said the matter would be considered when the Union Health ministry permitted the State government to do so.