Hyderabad: Khammam district, for the second day in a row, reported more Covid-19 positive cases than Hyderabad. There has been a sudden spike of cases from July 11 onwards in the district which reported only 32 cases Sunday, but increased to 82 cases on Monday and 84 cases on Tuesday.
The week from July 7 to 13 recorded a total of 464 cases. Despite high cases in Khammam, there are no micro-containment zones in the district.
The reasons for Khammam seeing a spike are said to be its proximity to Andhra Pradesh border, constant travel of people between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and transport of industries, agriculture produces and fisheries to Rajahmundry district.
A senior doctor in the government district hospital in Khammam explained, "Being a border district, there are some problems being noted in administration and also laxity in strictly implementing the Covid-19 protocols. Cross-border travel is going on unchecked on a daily basis. The capacity of the district hospital is 380 beds out of which 180 beds are still occupied with active Covid-19 cases."
There are sporadic spikes also being reported from Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy, Warangal Urban and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. In Karimnagar district, there has been a call for increased testing in public health centres.
Experts state that in the first and second waves, after the decline, it was noted that there were sporadic spikes but they were not taken seriously. These spikes must be monitored as the virulent strain of the virus emerges from these spikes.
Dr Yadgiri Rao, senior member of Indian Medical Association in Telangana, says, "There is a spike in cases in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Telangana shares borders with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and cross-border travel will lead to an increase in the cases in districts bordering these states. Controlling them in the districts is very important now to check on the variants and avoid escalation."
The challenge noted at the ground level is understanding and following Covid 19 protocols. Small gatherings, birthday parties, marriage anniversaries and other religious functions on a small scale are also causing spread of Covid-19.
Alertness has to be very high at the time when cases are declining as that is when cases are missed and tracing the origin of a wave becomes a major challenge.
