Tirupati: Lack of transparency makes Covid bulletins redundant

Tirupati: The media bulletin on Covid-19 being released everyday by the government has become redundant in the absence district-wise breakup. When the government started releasing these bulletins sometime in March, they used to give four bulletins a day with all the details giving the impression that it maintains transparency.

These bulletins become very useful both for media and people who can access them from government website to know the spread of the virus across several districts. It used to give much useful information on the number of new cases in each district, number of discharges, active cases and total number of cases.The government started reducing the number of bulletins from four to three and to two and later settling to one bulletin a day in the past few days. But since May 19, the proforma of the bulletin has been changed leaving everyone in surprise. Now it gives only the total samples tested, total number of cases and total discharges during the last 24 hours in the state leaving out the district-wise details.

It gives a note on the total number of positive cases among foreign returnees and from other states but no district-wise break-up could be seen. Thus, the bulletins become a puzzles leaving other information to anyone's guess. Neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are giving total picture of the cases with patient-wise details, history, etc., A doctor commented that the government might have removed district-wise data so as to prevent panic among the public on the increasing number of cases as the inter-district transport is permitted now.

However, even the district authorities are not releasing any bulletins regularly on new cases which raises many eyebrows.

A professor said that the government was trying to allay fears among the people on the virus by saying that one has to live with it. "Then why they are hiding the details of cases? The information can make people understand the spread of the virus, its seriousness and in its absence they could not take proper care which is not at all desirable. There is a need to maintain transparency at any cost. After all, increase in the number of cases is not at all government's fault," he maintained.