BHUBANESWAR: Until a fortnight ago Dudpal village in Bhograi block of Balasore district did not have a single Covid case. Now the village has 42 cases listed by the local administration. The infection spread in the village after a group of migrants returned from their workplace.
Locals said the returnees infected their families and six to eight members from each family have now tested positive. Most of them are in home isolation.
With the State government insisting patients to remain in home isolation, people with symptoms are ignoring tests and are in self medication as they fear villagers will not allow them to stay at home if they come to know that they are positive. Unlike the previous year, the panchayat level quarantine centres are not available.
Close to West Bengal, several villages in Bhograi have been affected as people in border areas frequent the neighbouring State despite the restrictions. A former Zilla Parisad member Ashish Mohanty says once detected positive, it is difficult to remain in home isolation in a complex family pattern in villages.
"Every third family has a suspect Covid patient. But many have not tested. Since there is no isolation facility available at GP level and the patients are deprived of required treatment at cluster isolation centres, people are preferring to adopt symptomatic treatment at home. Such people are helping the infection to spread as they do not follow quarantine protocol," he said.
Not only the coastal districts, the 10 western Odisha districts bordering Chhattisgarh are also bearing the brunt. Adding to the woes of villagers is the reverse migration.
Co-convenor of Odisha Right to Food Campaign Sameet Panda said at least 26 persons having Covid symptoms in five villages - three villages from Nuapada and one each from Kalahandi and Puri - have died in past one month and 10 among them succumbed in Covid hospitals.
"No one could say if their names were reported as Covid deaths by the State government. Things are pretty bad in villages. People are scared to get tested or go to hospital. They are going to hospitals only in respiratory distress or when things are getting worse," he said.
The Covid-19 infection spread in rural Odisha is fast and furious in the second wave. Hundreds of miles away from the urban localities, the virus has reached the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups who were relatively untouched in the first wave.
Health department sources said of the 3.14 lakh cases and 502 deaths reported till May 18 this year, 1.82 lakh cases and 276 deaths were from rural pockets.
The number of infection and death among the people aged 17 to 40 years is more in rural areas than its urban counterparts. As many as 98,134 people of the age group have tested positive and 75 have succumbed in villages as against 65,970 infections and 40 deaths in urban areas.
Similarly, 55,616 people aged 41-60 years, 14,403 people of 60 years and above and 14,042 children of less than 16 years have been found Covid positive in villages as compared to 44187, 13514 and 8669 in towns. While two children, 132 people of 41-60 years and 67 senior citizens have fallen victim to the disease in rural parts of the State, one child, 40 youths, 102 middle-aged and 83 people of 60 years plus have succumbed in urban areas.
Rural Odisha is paying heavy price this pandemic as the State government has failed to improve testing and treatment infrastructure. Surprisingly, 20 worst-hit districts do not have a single RT-PCR lab and all the 33 ICMR approved RT-PCR labs, including six by private entities, are located in 10 districts. Khurda district has the highest 10 labs in Bhubaneswar.
Although 74 Covid hospitals and Covid Care Centres have been set up across the State, they are mostly located in towns or cities. The maximum 13 such Covid treatment centres, including seven dedicated Covid hospitals, are located in Ganjam, followed by nine in Khurda (Bhubaneswar), eight in Cuttack, five in Sundargarh, three each in Sambalpur and Angul, two each in nine districts and one each in 15 districts.
Interestingly, a school hostel, BEd College, Government ITI and an old jail campus function as Covid hospitals in the worst hit Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Boudh and Sonepur districts respectively. Jagatsingpur has its Covid hospital in Biju Yatri Nivas and a polytechnic in Deogarh and an ITI in Gajapati double up as Covid treatment centre.
Dean (Research) of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Dr Binod Patro suggested apart from accelerating testing, the health staff in rural areas will also have to focus on simple clinical evaluation like measuring oxygen saturation level, body temperature and blood pressure.
"Rapid antigen test has the shortest turnaround time of 15-30 minutes. The test report should be made available to people in an hour and the administration should start monitoring them immediately," he said.
Similarly, sample turnaround time for RT-PCR should not be more than 48 hours, said Dr Patro and insisted that along with the test, clinical evaluation of a patient is also important. Instead of waiting for test reports, a patient needs to be treated if his/her condition is alarming to prevent happy hypoxia, he added.
Health authorities said the State Government has already stepped up surveillance in the villages.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said the State has more than one lakh ASHA and Anganwadi workers who have been engaged for door-to-door survey of SARI/ILI cases along with dengue, malaria, and diarrhoea in rural pockets.
"If any family member is found with symptoms, a Covid test would be conducted immediately. We are ramping up daily tests upto 70,000 a day from 60,000 now as the supply of rapid antigen testing kits has improved. Critical care beds are also being added to Covid hospitals," Mohapatra added.
COVID SURGE
RURAL vs URBAN
17 to 40 age group
98,134 people tested positive, 75 succumbed in villages
65,970 infections and 40 deaths in urban localities
All age groups
55,616 people aged 41-60, 14,403 people of 60 years and above, 14,042 children of
less than 16 years found Covid positive in villages whereas the number is
44,187, 13,514 and 8,669 respectively in towns
DEATHS
- 2 kids, 132 people of 41-60 years and 67 senior citizens have died in rural Odisha
- 1 child, 40 youths, 102 middle-aged and 83 people of 60 years plus have succumbed in urban areas