Of the 234 deaths, 95 were reported from Kerala. The death toll now stands at over 4.48 lakh

As Covid-19 seems to be on the wane in the rest of the country, the small hill state of Mizoram is not only reporting a disproportionately large number of cases, but also the highest prevalence amongst children.

About 16% of the cases registered in August and September have been in the 0-10 age group, which is twice the national average, though none of them is serious. Some of these infections were reported from outbreaks in residential schools and orphanages.

What explains the surge in cases? Several health officials The Indian Express reached out to said it was because Mizoram was “simply good at reporting its cases”. Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, State Nodal officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, said the surge could be attributed to “aggressive” testing and reporting of infections in Mizoram, as well as contact tracing.

After Supreme Court orders on compensation for Covid-19 victims, the Centre amended provisions for assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), enabling states to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of those who died due to the pandemic.

The Ministry of Home Affairs Friday said it has already approved the release of over Rs 7,400 crore to 23 states as second installment of the Centre’s share in the SDRF for this purpose. The order in this regard was issued on September 25.