COIMBATORE: With the Covid caseload in Coimbatore plateauing for the last few days, the data compiled by district administration reveals that the infection is now spreading in rural pockets. Blocks in the district, including Sulur, Thudiyalur, Madukkarai, Thondamuthur, Karamadai, and Mettupalayam, continue to report a surge in Covid cases daily.
Weekly number of cases analysed by Express show that there is a steady rise in some blocks of the district. Meanwhile, Pollachi North, Sulthanpettai and Pollachi South blocks are experiencing a downward trend in the last few days.
An official in-charge of monitoring Covid activities said, “Though there was a increase in the number of cases, it is on a downward trend now. The Sulur block which was reporting over 400 fresh cases earlier, is now recording less than 250 cases daily.”
The rise in cases was mainly observed in densely populated areas. Official sources claimed that the Health department is currently short-staffed and that is the reason for not intensifying fever camps or door-to-door screening in the rural areas.
“Due to limited workforce on the ground, we are hosting fever camps only in the most vulnerable areas. The doctors have been deputed to Covid care centres, which has impacted the regular control measures,” stated an official on condition of anonymity.
When contacted, a higher official in the district health department said they have roped in staff from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and panchayat to intensify the door-to-door screening in rural areas. The city corporation is now contributing only 50 per cent of fresh Covid cases when compared to around 70 per cent last week.
Containment zones increase in Erode rural limits
Erode: Even as the number of containment zones have dipped in the Erode city limits, such zones have being increasing to over 100 in rural areas across the district. Bhavani and Gobi taluks have been reporting more than 12 per cent of the daily cases consistently. More than 225 village panchayats have been asked not to allow outsiders into village. Collector Kathiravan has been inspecting houses with isolated persons for the past three days. Steps were taken to enhance testing and communicate results quickly, said a official.
