Anxiety has gripped several parts of Chittoor district as the number of COVID-19 cases raced toward the 4,400-mark, with 331 fresh cases being reported on Friday alone.
The district has reported 43 coronavirus deaths in the last three months.
Medical and health officials are expressing serious concern at the growing number of positive cases in urban areas. Tirupati Municipal Corporation alone registered 250 cases on Friday. In spite of the partial lockdown measures undertaken by the corporations and municipalities, people can be seen moving around in large numbers, that too without wearing masks or abiding by social distancing norms.
With just only one private facility available for COVID-19 tests in the entire district at Tirupati, government hospitals are said to be facing a herculean task in undertaking tests at primary health centres, cluster hospitals and COVID Care Centres in Tirupati.
The medical officers on COVID-19 duty said that due to a heavy influx of public rushing to the government centres for COVID tests, a feeling of uncertainty is prevailing in laboratories. During the initial days of the pandemic spread, the results of the coronavirus tests used to be released within 24 hours.
“Now, it is taking a week to ten days for the results to be out. During this period, the primary and secondary contacts of those testing positive are freely moving around in public, heightening the risk of community transmission,” a government medical officer said.
Though there are 230 containment zones in Chittoor district, the unchecked movement of people continues to worry officials. The presence of the police at crowded places is also thinning each day, in the aftermath of several personnel testing positive for the virus. The death of a Circle Inspector in Tirupati on Thursday only led to further tension among the police force.
A.P. Government Doctors’ Association secretary (Chittoor district) P. Ravi Raju said that Chittoor district has the best available COVID-19 hospitals in Tirupati and Chittoor under the government sector.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic is now active all over the district, due to porous borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, we need to have intensified surveillance on public movement. We also need COVID treatment centres at all Assembly constituencies. Unfortunately, violations of guidelines are being reported from everywhere, which is an area of concern. We urge the police to step up attention for strict adherence to guidelines by the public at this alarming stage. The public who come for tests should follow restraint and avoid moving in public till the results come,” the official said.
