Arunachal Pradesh alone has 19 districts with over 10 per cent positivity rate.
Three days after sending multi-disciplinary teams to three northeastern states, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is set to review the on-ground situation there relating to Covid management. Accounting for over 62 per cent of the country's 77 high positivity districts, the region is receiving special attention from the Centre.
"The Central teams visited states that were showing upward trends relating to cases now. Based on their assessments, the Centre will suggest remedial measures," a Union Home Ministry official said. The two-member high-level team consisted of a clinician and a public health expert.
Now a video conference meeting on the matter will be held on Wednesday, July 7, between Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and officials of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Manipur, officials said.
"The overall COVID-19 management, especially testing, surveillance, and containment operations, Covid-appropriate behaviour and its enforcement, availability of hospital beds, logistics, including ambulances, ventilators, medical oxygen, and the vaccination progress would be on the agenda," another official said.
The Centre has been frequently deputing teams to states and Union Territories to interact with respective authorities for a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by them, sources said.
This meeting will be held as part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen their initiatives, they said.
The Centre has grouped districts with over 10 per cent positivity rate -- 10 in every 100 persons tested positive for Covid -- as ones of concern.
Data shows that Arunachal Pradesh has 19 of them; Manipur has eight, Meghalaya seven. There are four each in Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, and two in Assam.