Hyderabad: The count of daily Covid cases has dropped considerably in the state but doctors say it is deceptive as a number of people are testing themselves at home via home kits or are not getting tested at all.
Experts have called for the government to provide different aspects of data apart from just numbers to provide a better picture of the situation.
The state reported 252 new cases of Covid on Sunday, against 1,061 on August 4 and 612 cases on August 11.
Dr Sravani Reddy Karumuru, consultant general physician at Renova Hospitals, said the number of Covid cases being reported had reduced because a lot of people were testing themselves using home kits, and these results were not recorded on the government’s database.
She added that since seasonal viruses were currently prevalent, many patients were assuming that they had contracted one of them and hence were not getting tested for Covid. “At the hospitals too, we need evidence that it is Covid-19 to prescribe a test for it,” she said.
Dr Sai Reddy, consultant pulmonologist at Yashoda Hospitals, attributed the fall in cases to the increase in home testing by citizens. He said while cases had indeed reduced, as the viral infections were more prevalent than Covid, the drop in numbers was not as much as the official numbers indicated.
Paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh said it was high time the data compiled and provided by the government is presented in terms of morbidity and mortality, instead of sheer numbers. This would give a better picture of the scenario.
“Suppose Covid is passing off as a mild flu, we need not bother much. Suppose it is causing chronic lung problems, heart attacks, strokes, or affecting the lungs very badly, then definitely we need to be very careful. Thus, to present the data that way would make more sense,” she said.
