Is Covid less lethal now?

Hyderabad: We are still at a stage when we cannot afford to be any complacent in our guard against the deadly pandemic which is on prowl. There is no such thing as herd immunity, betting on which is costing dearly even in developed nations such as UK. Its PM Boris Johnson who pursued this myth, landed in ICU. On recovery, he cautioned against any negligence on the part of his countrymen. "Maintain personal hygiene. Wear masks, use sanitisers, remain in the house as much as possible," is the dictum being followed zealously across the globe. And a survey by a city-based NGO just bears it out.

According to the survey conducted by the Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), basic first line treatment is being given at PHC through the government medical kit comprising HCQS, antibiotics and vitamins. They were found to be sufficient to successfully treat the positive cases. As many as 38% patients were found symptomatic with fever, cough, sore throat being major complaints and the rest are simply asymptomatic.

The survey was done with over 2,000 online medical consultations across the state, as part of counselling and telemedicine services to Covid patients.

The survey revealed that SARS-COV2 virus although on the rise across the country and also in Telangana state may not be as

virulent as it was in the June-July 2020 period. Nevertheless, the NGO has been working with several government hospitals and PHCs to stave off the pandemic. It is carrying out field-level surveys apart from providing relief work.

The NGO informed that 1,520 online consultations were conducted through two government primary health centres in Ranga Reddy district and through two PHCs within the city under the GHMC limits, which covered several urban slums.

Urban slums covered by the PHCs are: Osman Nagar, Shaheen Nagar, Wadi e Mustafa, under Jalpally Municipality/Meerpet PHC, HUDA colony, Dasari Naryan nagar, chintalkunta, Lenin Nagar, Prashant nagar under Meerpet Municipality/ PHC, Gandhi Nagar, Rajiv Gruha Kalpa, Balapur X Roads under Badangpet Municipality/Meerpet PHC, Ghouse nagar, Milat Nagar, Jahingrabad under Bandlaguda PHC with an estimated population of 4 lacs as per 2011 census.

The study findings should cheer the public a little but there cannot be any room for smugness and carelessness. All precautions advised at the outbreak of virus still hold true. It also should be borne in mind that vaccines are a long way off to reach the public at large in India. 'Wear a face cover; Wash your hands; Keep a safe distance.' Breaking this would give way to serious repercussions, warns the study.

What Virulence Survey Says

l 2,000 COVID positive patients screened across 24 slums

l 1,500 patients screened across 4 Govt PHCs

l 500 patients screened across 11 districts

l 94% patients report mild to moderated disease & treated in

Home Isolation thru the PHCs

l 38%*symptomatic & 62% asymptomatic

l Only 6% required hospitalisation

l Not a single case required O2 therapy in home isolation

l Only 4 deaths reported by the sample study of 2K cases

l 58% patients in 21-50 age group