COVID-19 Epidemiological Trends and Impact Assessment in India’s Northeastern States: The First Wave Analysis
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic in India has seen a significant increase in cases since the first reported case in January 2020. The northeastern states have performed relatively well in combating the infection and have remained in the bottom half of the national COVID-19 tally until January 2021.
Methods: The data was extracted from an open-source portal since the first reported case of COVID-19 in the northeastern states of India almost a year ago and was analysed using epidemiological indicators to assess the inter-state variability in the spread, factors affecting it, and mitigation strategies adopted by them.
Results: Our analysis shows the highest test positivity rate in Nagaland (9.8%) and the lowest in Meghalaya (0.24%). Cases per million (CPM) were highest in Arunachal Pradesh (9642) and deaths per million (DPM) were highest in Sikkim (190). These values were lowest in Mizoram (CPM: 3261, DPM: 6.9), respectively. Such disproporti ons are seen at both inter- and intra-state levels. For these states, the biweekly rate of rise in cases increased to its peak in July 2020 and then slowly declined from August, approaching zero until January 2021.
Conclusions: The overall situati on in the northeastern states was bett er than in the other states of India; however, there was wide inter and intra-state variation, which calls for appropriate measures to tackle future outbreaks. The study highlights the need for robust public health infrastructure and proacti ve measures to prevent and manage outbreaks effectively.
How to cite this article:
Chauhan A, Devaraju M, Ngaihte P C, Jethi P, Gaur S, Pandey S. COVID-19 Epidemiological Trends and Impact Assessment in India’s Northeastern
States: The First Wave Analysis. Epidem Int. 2023;8(3):9-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.7048.202311
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