Nanjangud haunted by Covid fear, ambiguity between RAT & RTPCR

Mysuru: Fear of covid 19 is haunting rural people a lot. In Nanjangud taluk alone in Mysuru district, amid the shortage of 60 percent of the staff, Nanjangud taluk health department staff are dealing with the challenge of counseling covid 19 patients to convince for treatment, as most of them are not ready to accept the fact that they are tested positive for covid 19 out of fear of covid 19 and also due to lack of knowledge and ambiguity about the difference between Rapid antigen testing and confirmatory RTPCR test.

Upon this, among the existing health department staff in Nanjangud taluk, on Tuesday alone Urban public health centre medical officer Dr Venktesh died due to covid 19; and three doctors and 8 health care staff including Asha workers, lab technicians and others tested positive for covid 19 in Rapid antigen testing done for health staff at Nanjangud on Tuesday .

While there are 247 active covid 19 positive cases in Nanjangud, atleast 12 of them have remained untraceable out of such fear for covid 19 and ambiguity over RAT and RTPCR tests. These 12 people have either given wrong number and wrong address or they have switched off their phones, according to Nanjangud taluk health officer Dr K Eshwar.

While Rapid antigen testing report of 57 year old farmer Siddappa D of Devarasanahalli of Nanjangud taluk was negative on 16 September, since he had covid 19 symptoms, his report was sent for RTPCR test for confirmation. And while his confirmatory report of RTPCR testing which was positive for covid 19 was conveyed by district control room via sms, he was not ready to accept it, and he had to be counseled before he agreed to get shifted to hospital on Monday.

With this ambiguity on covid 19 report, Siddappa had come in close contact with atleast 15 primary and secondary contacts during his visits to three hospitals in six days to get treated for cough and fever he suffered, before this news paper confirmed about his report through his SRF ID with the help of THO Dr Eshwar.

Later he was counseled and THO Dr Eshwar got him shifted him to Nanjangud government hospital on Monday night, according to Siddappa. Siddappa is currently treated at Covid hospital in Mysuru. While government has sanctioned 308 posts for health department for Nanjangud taluk, 182 are vacant.

In Nanjangud taluk so far, 9119 Rapid antigen tests, 5480 RTPCR tests done. And so far 1480 people are tested positive for covid 19 and 23 people have died. And currently Nanjangud has 247 covid 19 positive active cases. Dr Venktesh who died due to covid 19 at Nanjangud on Tuesday was 66 years of age and he was serving as medical officer at UPHC to serve people even after his retirement.