KASARAGOD: The state government's decision to impose lockdown restrictions solely based on test positivity rate (TPR) -- the number of covid positive cases in 100 tests -- is throwing up lots of difficulties at the panchayat level. Health officials said it is unscientific and might lead to manipulation of TPR, affecting the surveillance of the pandemic.
"My phone has not stopped buzzing. People want to know why there is a triple lockdown in our panchayat for a week," said Ajanur panchayat president Shobha T.
Ajanur and Madhur are the only two panchayats in Kasaragod district where triple lockdown will kick in for a week from Thursday.
Ajanur panchayat has an average test positivity rate of 26% for seven days ended June 23 (Wednesday). Madhur's TPR is 30%.
According to the guidelines issued by the state government's Disaster Management Department, an average TRP above 24% is classified as D category or areas with 'critical spread', and a triple lockdown is imposed for seven days.
Average TPR below 8% is classified as A category -- or areas with low spread; average TPR between 8% and 16% is classified as B category or areas with moderate spread; average TPR between 16% and 24% is classified as C category or areas with high spread; and average TRP above 24% or areas with critical spread.
Health officials said the government should not rely solely on TRP and should also consider the number of infections during the same period.
The average TRP in Ajanur and Madhur is high because the number of tests is low, said a top health official. In the past seven days, only 403 tests were conducted in Madhur panchayat; and 737 tests were conducted in Ajanur panchayat.
Though the TPR in the two panchayats is above 24%, the total number of infections during the past seven days is 121 in Madhur and 193 in Ajanur.
In contrast, Mangalpady panchayat is classified as A category because its seven-day average TRP is 5.64%. The TRP in Mangalpady is low because 2,181 tests were conducted during the period -- the highest in the district. "When the number of tests goes up, the TRP will surely go down," said the top health official. During the past seven days, Mangalpady reported 123 positive cases of covid -- which is two more than Madhur panchayat. But the restrictions in Mangalpady have been eased and a triple lockdown has been imposed in Madhur.
Similarly, Kanhangad municipality -- which shares a border with Ajanur panchayat -- reported 182 positive cases in the past seven days, but its test positivity rate is 13.45% (B category), mainly because 1,353 tests were conducted in the town.
Chengal, Udma, Panathady, Pallikkara, Chemnad, Kodom-Bellur, Bedadka, and Cheruvathur have all reported more than 100 cases in the past seven days but their test positivity rates fall in A, B, and C categories because of a higher number of tests.
If TPR is the only criterion to decide on lockdown rules, local bodies would try to lower it by conducting tests in areas unaffected by covid, said officials. "TRP can be used to formulate policies at the initial stage of the pandemic. Now at the peak, we conduct tests on suspected persons to identify infected persons and give them medical care. That number should not be used for imposing lockdowns," said another health official.
The government should look at the total number of cases and also TRP, he said. "The ideal data to look at now is the number of positive cases per 10,000 population at the panchayat levels and cases per million population. And at the same time, ramp up vaccination. Lockdown is not the solution," he said.
ALSO WATCH: