Lack of awareness, poor enforcement of curbs in rural areas leading to more deaths, allege residents

Hesitancy to get tested, reliance on chemists and self-medication are major obstacles in preventing further spread of Covid-19 in rural areas, said residents, even as the health department started mass screening following complaints of an increase in the number of deaths due to the infection and influenza-like illnesses

Hesitancy to get tested, reliance on chemists and self-medication are major obstacles in preventing further spread of Covid-19 in rural areas, said residents, even as the health department started mass screening following complaints of an increase in the number of deaths due to the infection and influenza-like illnesses.

HT Image

Naveen Kumar, a resident of Baspadmka village in Pataudi, who had sought help from the administration on Twitter, said that many people with symptoms did not turn up at the testing camps organised by the government.

“On Thursday over 100 people got tested and out of them, 10 turned out positive for Covid-19. However, there is a large number of people suffering from high fever and other symptoms in the village who did not turn up. I hope the health department conducts testing in every household,” said Kumar.

He said that eight to 10 recent deaths were of people suffering from Covid-19 symptoms.

The situation is similar in Manesar village, which is witnessing one or two deaths daily for the past 15 days, locals said. “The population of Manesar is around 100,000 and people live in highly dense pockets. We have witnessed seven deaths in Aaalhu mohalla alone due to Covid-19 this month. Villagers are admitted to local hospitals and a large number of them have self-quarantined with little help from authorities. The Covid-19 safeguards and protocols are not being followed,” said Om Prakash Yadav, a former village head.

According to the health department data, the test positivity rate (proportion of positives out of the samples tested) in rural areas was at 21.8% in April. Officials identified seven high-risk areas for mass surveillance and door-to-door screening.

The health department said that it has registered around 17 deaths due to Covid-19 in the seven high-risk areas. “The large outreach planned in rural areas is aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 infections and ensuring better treatment so that patients do not succumb due to complications,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram.

Officials said that a large-scale exercise is being launched across the district for testing and screening people in villages, and serious cases will be referred to hospitals.

Yadav said, “Around 50 large isolation centres will be set up in villages initially with healthcare facilities. One team for testing and another for isolation will be deployed in villages that will help the in medication and preventing the spread.”

To ensure that locals don’t rely on chemists for treatment, Yadav said that healthcare professionals are being deployed to curb this practice. “We will ensure timely testing and treatment,” he said.

Residents of villages said that infected persons prefer to wait for a week to approach the hospitals and only do so when their condition deteriorates. Free movement of infected persons is further spreading the infection, complained locals.

In Sultanpur village, at least eight people died due to Covid-19 this month, most of whom relied on self-medication, said locals. “Our neighbour waited four to five days before getting tested and suddenly collapsed. He could not survive a single day in the hospital. His wife is also in a critical condition and is surviving on ventilator support,” said Pravesh Chauhan, a resident.

Many infected persons or those with influenza-like illness are also not isolating and there is no one to keep a check, residents said.

“It is difficult to ask people to refrain from sharing hukka or playing cards. Some step out for fresh air but this has caused more infections,” said Dilip Yadav, a resident of Kherki Daula, who recently shifted to a condominium across the toll plaza.

Bhawar Singh, a resident of Hassanpur village, said that authorities should ensure that critical patients from rural areas are admitted to hospitals. “We have to make a lot of effort to get the patients admitted, even if their condition is bad,” said Singh.