The upward trend of COVID-19 infections continued in Chittoor district that registered another 2,338 cases on Thursday, the highest in the State, while the active caseload moved to 9,888.
The infections, which were confined to the urban areas in the first week of January, have now begun to spread in the rural areas as well. While the two municipal corporations of Tirupati and Chittoor and six municipalities of Srikalahasti, Nagari, Puttur, Punganur, Palamaner, and Madanapalle saw 1,036 cases, the district’s rural side reported 1,302 cases.
With the rise in COVID infections, a worrying trend has emerged in the district. Officials have observed that people are purchasing medicines directly from the medical shops without prescriptions. The trend is seen more in rural areas, particularly those that border with Tamil Nadu.
Officials on COVID-19 duties said that though prompt arrangements were made at all Primary Health Centres(PHCs), area hospitals to conduct the COVID tests, some were hesitant to undergo the test.
“They are instead rushing to medical shops if they develop the COVID symptoms. It is not difficult to get medicines that are generally prescribed for COVID even if they do not have a prescription. Self-medication is being indulged in by people in a big way even though they do not know if they are infected or not. This will have an adverse impact sometimes,” a senior medical officer said.
“Why take risk going to a testing centre when cases are peaking? It is better to take medicines,” said a 60-year-old man at Nagari, purchasing medicines for his 55-year-old spouse who has symptoms of fever and cough.
Medical shops were asked to display boards rejecting medicines without prescription during the first and second waves in the district. But, such an arrangement is missing this time.
Misconception
The task force officials said that there is a misconception among the public that taking antibiotics, zinc, and vitamin C doses, when experiencing the symptoms, would bring down the infection, and then there would be no need for going for a COVID test.
