Mizoram reports its first COVID-19 death; with 80 new cases, tally reaches 2,607

Aizawl: The north-eastern state of Mizoram, the only state which had not reported any COVID-19 fatality so far, registered its first coronavirus death on Wednesday after a 62-year-old man succumbed to the infection.

The man died at a hospital near Aizawl, a state government health official said. The patient was undergoing treatment for 10 days at the state-run Zoram Medical College, its medical superintendent, Dr H C Laldina, was quoted as saying by PTI.

The man, who resided in Aizawl, was also suffering from a heart ailment, he said.

Mizoram had reported its first coronavirus case on March 24 after a 52-year-old pastor, with a travel history to the Netherlands, tested positive for the infection. He was discharged from the ZMC after 45 days of intensive treatment. The state had reported its next coronavirus cases on June 1 when 12 people tested positive for the infection.

With the state witnessing a steady rise in COVID-19 cases since then, the administration had imposed several complete and partial lockdowns in Aizawl and other district headquarters.

The state is currently observing 'COVID-19 no tolerance fortnight' since October 26, while a lockdown has been imposed in Aizawl municipal area since October 27 to curtail the rising number of locally transmitted cases.

The state-wide drive will continue till November 9, while the lockdown in Aizawl is scheduled to be lifted at 4.30 am on November 3. More than 34 per cent of the patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 since October 1 are symptomatic, health officials said.

On the other hand, only 15 per cent of the patients who had tested positive for the infection before October have developed symptoms, they said.

Mizoram's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,607 on Wednesday as 80 more people, including 27 school students and 11 Army personnel, tested positive for the infection.