New Delhi: With the Covid-19 cases crossing the 40 lakh mark in the country, there has also been increased concern over its spread in rural areas as there is a lack of medical facilities infrastructure. However, this epidemic was initially limited to urban areas. Experts said that there is no accurate data on how much the coronavirus has spread in rural areas, but there are enough cases to tell its reach in every corner of the country and there is also spreading of infection at the community level.
Just two figures tell the whole story: 65 percent of India’s 1.3 billion population is in villages, and according to ‘How India Livs’ website, 714 districts in the country have reported cases of coronavirus infection, causing 94.76 percent of the population at risk. Is facing A group of experts said earlier this week, “Covid-19 cases are increasing from small towns and towns, as well as villages.” The serosurvey revealed that the epidemic has spread to most parts of the country, indicating that coronavirus infection is spreading at a community level. ” The Indian Public Health Association, the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine and the Indian Association of Epidemiologists have also raised concerns that even after six months, people have feelings of social infamy, fear, and discrimination.
“There are more cases of infections coming from semi-urban areas,” said a Health Ministry official. “In just 13 days, the cases of Covid-19 have increased from 30 lakhs to 40 lakhs, including 86,432 new cases which came up on Saturday. According to the updated data of the Union Health Ministry at 8 am on Saturday, a total of 40,23,179 cases of Kovid-19 have been reported in the country so far. According to the Union Health Ministry, 1,089 patients have died in the last 24 hours, including a total of 69,561 infected people in the country.
India has reached the third place among the countries most affected by the epidemic. The US and Brazil are ranked second in terms of Covid-19 cases and deaths of its patients, while the fact cannot be blinded by the fact that hospitals like villages in India’s villages and semi-urban areas And there are no facilities of laboratories. Experts have also emphasized the need for more data. Gautam Menon, a professor in the Physics and Biology department of Ashoka University, while discussing rural areas, said, “There are still not enough figures to make a detailed comparison, but hearsay reports suggest that the number of investigations is limited. And is not good enough. ‘
Sitabhra Sinha, a professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, said, “Right now, most medical patients are concentrated in and around metropolitan areas. “He warned that if the rate of increase in cases in the next few weeks does not stop in states like Odisha, a big problem could arise there.” An official in Bhubaneswar said that there is a high risk of the epidemic in the eastern states as more than 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas. The rate of infection is bound to be higher in villages than in cities. By the end of April, the infection was mainly confined to urban areas but the epidemic also spread to rural areas after migrant workers returned home from Surat, Mumbai, and Delhi.
With the return of migrants to West Bengal too, cases of Covid-19 increased. A senior official of the state health department claimed this. He said, “This led to the transition to the community stage.” Tamil Nadu Health Secretary in South India, Dr. J. Radhakrishnan described the fight against Covid-19 as a ‘test match’ of cricket. He said, “The more we investigate, the more number of cases will come. Around 76,500 RT-PCR tests are being conducted daily in the state. “Maharashtra, one of the most affected epidemic states in the country, has recorded an increase in new cases and deaths due to the epidemic in rural areas of the state by the end of the fifth month of lockdown.” A senior health officer of the state gave this information.
“Maharashtra had 7,03,823 cases as of 26 August, of which 5,07,022 (72.03 percent) were from municipal areas (urban areas),” he said. Similarly, 76.43 percent of the 22,794 deaths occurred in municipal areas. But now the picture is changing. Due to the large number of people traveling to the villages, the infection is also spreading there and now more deaths are happening. According to official data from Andhra Pradesh, 40 percent of the cases of Covid-19 have come from rural areas in recent weeks. State Health Commissioner K.K. Bhaskar said, “We are improving the infrastructure at the Primary Health Center and Community Health Center so that there are facilities for oxygen cylinders, etc. and they can get treatment even when the number of patients increases. “
At the same time, cases of Covid-19 are increasing again in Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “Now an adequate number of first-line treatment centers, adequate number of laboratories for testing.
