300 +ve patients gave false info to avoid social stigma
To conceal their identity and to avoid facing stigma as infected with Covid-19 from neighbourhoods, people are giving wrong contact numbers to avoid detection by health authorities and spreading the virus to their contacts in several parts in the state.
Health authorities in Prakasam district have identified more than 300 patients who tested Covid-19 positive, out of 1.3 lakh samples tested for the virus in the last four and a half months, as most have given wrong contact numbers.
When health officers tried to call the contact numbers given by the patients to inform them about their Covid-19 positive status, they failed to do so as the numbers were either wrong or fake and, in some cases, contact numbers of their friends and others were given. As the health authorities have the patients’ Aadhaar numbers and residential addresses collected at the time of undergoing Covid-19 tests at government facilities, district health authorities alerted local health personnel to trace patients who tested
Covid-19 positive. They have also alerted the local police based on residential addresses to locate them.
Health authorities explain this by saying that in most of the cases the patients were primary contacts of Covid-19 patients. As it is mandatory to conduct Covid-19 test on all primary contacts of patients, health authorities reach out to them and bring them to government facility to collect their swabs to conduct tests.
These primary contacts out of fear that they may test
Covid-19 positive and health personnel will come to their house, disinfect their house, collect details of family members, inquire for primary contacts and conduct a host of activities drawing the attention of all, are giving wrong numbers assuming that they can remain untraced.
The authorities say that some people are giving contact numbers of their trusted friends so that soon after their Covid-19 positive status was intimated, they approach quacks especially in rural areas to undergo treatment secretly so that nobody in their village knows about their health status and they might avoid any discrimination from the villagers.
Prakasam district Covid-19 nodal officer, Dr John Richards, said, “As some patients are giving wrong contact numbers and old addresses mentioned in Aadhaar cards at the time of registering for Covid-19 test for varied reasons, we are finding it difficult to trace especially those who tested Covid-19 positive, inform them and provide them health care. However, we have a task force to trace such cases and also alert the local police to help us find them. We will find at least some such patients if they stay locally and provide them health care. Otherwise, they go on infecting their family members, friends and others and contribute to the community spread of the virus.”