Out of the 2,499 COVID-19 cases in Telangana till date, a little over 200 are senior citizens above 60 years, who contracted the disease though they did not step out of home.
Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said that case probe revealed that the elderly got the virus as their family members, who went out of home, did not maintain precautions outside and after returning home.
At a press meet at the State Health office on Saturday, Dr. Rao and Director of Medical Health K. Ramesh Reddy stressed the need for precautions, with hundreds of families contracting the virus as someone among them was careless.
Dr. Rao said that if there are elderly or children at home, people should be cautious, and maintain personal hygiene. “While talking to elderly, maintain distance,” he said. There are over 200 children among the patients who tested positive.
Dr. Reddy said that though the State government is taking all measures, it is everyone’s responsibility to contain the spread of virus. To make his point clear, he cited clusters of cases.
“A man from Borabanda went to his grandmother’s place at Pahadishareef. He attended a function with 20 people and infected 14 from his own family and 11 more families. Another man from Hyderabad went to Vikarabad to attend a function and when he returned, his family members, including relatives, both in Hyderabad and Vikarabad, got infected because of him,” Dr. Rao said.
Listing out important precautions that one should follow, he urged people to wear masks, follow physical distancing and maintain personal hygiene and cleanliness.
The senior official said that the purpose of a lockdown is not to eliminate or control COVID completely but to extensively control the spread. “Lockdown gives time to governments and health systems to prepare for the pandemic,” he said.
The DME also said that they have equipped hospitals with all kinds of medical equipment and resources to face any eventuality.
