Every 4th person +ve at Rohtak village
MEDICAL OFFICER SATISH SAYS 57 OF THE 230 PEOPLE TESTED AT TITOLI VILLAGE TILL WEDNESDAY ARE COVID POSITIVE
TITOLI (ROHTAK): Pratap Kundu, a 60-year-old farmer at Titoli village, 15km from Rohtak, is moved to tears as he speaks about losing two sons, aged 36 and 33, to Covid-19 within five days.
Sitting with six other relatives at his house at the village in the Garhi-Sampla Kiloi assembly constituency, represented by leader of opposition and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kundu is yet to come to terms with the deaths. His elder son was first to complain of fever, cough and cold on April 25, following which he was taken to a private hospital in Rohtak. “The next day, my younger son also complained of fever, and we admitted him to the same hospital. The elder’s condition started deteriorating after he tested positive for Covid and our relatives brought 12 injections of Remdesivir, each costing Rs 35,000, from Gurugram with the hope that he will recover,” he said.
“On April 29, he lost the battle to the virus. My younger son, who had almost recovered from the fever, also died on May 4. How do I provide for education of my grandchildren?” the distraught father said, adding that the health officials were yet to collect samples of his family even after they lost two young men to Covid-19. But Kundu is not alone.
57 of 230 villagers test positive
Rohtak civil surgeon Dr Anil Birla says 33 people have died at Titoli over the past two weeks.
Of them, four died of Covid-19 in hospitals.
“The cause of death in the rest of the cases is mysterious because the cremations were conducted without informing officials,” he said.
Sombir Singh, the assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Titoli police checkpost, said: “Twentyone villagers died in April and 12 in the first four days of May.
We have sealed the village and only health and administrative officials are allowed in,” he said.
Sampling has begun at Titoli since Saturday. Medical officer Satish, who is leading the sample collection team, said 57 of the 230 people tested till Wednesday are Covid positive.
Social distancing norms were not observed during the sampling at the community centre, where health officials were conducting rapid-antigen tests. Many villagers were not wearing masks and still hesitant to get tested.
Community spread at Ghilod Kalan, too
A senior Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences official studying Covid cases said community transmission has taken place at Ghilod Kalan because the village is in proximity to Rohtak, where people are suffering from Covid in large numbers.
Only one out of the eight deaths at Ghilod Kalan were confirmed as a Covid death because the 35-year-old woman was admitted at a hospital in Rohtak and other people suffering from fever and other symptoms died at home.
Sarpanch Balwan Singh said, “People are still not wearing masks and we are struggling to keep them inside their homes.”