Shillong, Aug 30: East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo said on Monday that 82% of Covid-19 positive cases reported daily are unvaccinated.
In a statement issued on Monday, Laloo said that from July 1 to August 29, out of 279 Covid-19 deaths in the district, 235 (85%) were not vaccinated with even a single dose. “Therefore it is appealed to everyone who has not taken the vaccine to clarify their doubts and get vaccinated at the earliest,” she said.
She said it is important to speed up the vaccination coverage to prevent the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Laloo, in a statement, said that while the positivity rate and number of cases in East Khasi Hills district has reduced, the total case load still stands at approximately 1300 in the entire district with around 65% of cases from urban areas and 35% from rural areas.
“With more activities and movement of persons being permitted, it is essential that there is no laxity in observing basic protocols to prevent another surge in cases. Therefore, citizens are urged to use double masks or N95 masks at all public places without fail, she said.
She also urged the people to come forward for their second dose of vaccination within the recommended time to get full protection against the disease.
She said there are still many cases of persons coming to hospitals who have experienced symptoms for more than a week, with very low oxygen saturation and at a stage where disease has progressed considerably.
“It is appealed to the public to go for early testing which is essential to ensure proper monitoring and prevent serious illness and death,” she said.
Action against gatherings
The DC pointed that laxity in following protocols especially in big unregulated gatherings has resulted in resurgence of cases in many parts of the country.
She said a few instances of mass unregulated protest gatherings held without prior permission or basic safety protocols have been reported in the past week wherein it was seen that many people were without masks and no social distancing was observed.
There was large crowd during the protests against killing of former HNLC general secretary Cherishstarfiled Thangkhiew.
This amounts to gross negligence on the part of the organisers at a time when efforts are being made to control cases so that most activities including livelihood-related activities can be resumed, she said.
“While necessary action will be taken against such violators, it is emphasised that all should ensure basic compliance to prohibitory orders and orders issued under the Meghalaya Epidemic Disease, Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 in the interest of public health,” she added.
