MADHYA PRADESH
Of the nearly 150,000 people identified, since April 5, with influenza-like symptoms in the rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, around 26,000 have tested Covid positive, indicating a positivity rate of 17.3 per cent, which is not far behind the state’s overall figure of 23 per cent as on April 27. These rural patients constitute about 14 per cent of the total 189,055 new cases reported in MP between April 5 and 25.
Given the woefully inadequate medical facilities in the rural areas, villages are as good as on their own in the fight against Covid. Of the 819 Covid treatment centres, only 69 are located in the rural areas. Of the total 21,637 isolation beds in the state, only 3,039 are in the rural areas. While the urban areas have 22,145 oxygen beds and 9,271 ICU beds, respectively, there are only 338 oxygen and 51 ICU beds in the rural belt.
The second wave of Covid-19 is fast engulfing the interiors of Rajasthan. Siddharth Mahajan, secretary, medical health and family welfare, says about 40 per cent of the total cases are being reported from the rural areas. Officials are concerned that tier 2/3 districts are reporting a higher number of cases than last year. On April 26, Jaisalmer, a thinly populated district, reported 176 new cases. The total active cases in the district stood at 1,251 that day—nearly one-third of the 3,554 cases reported there since Covid struck last year. Only 11 of the 59 oxygen beds in the district were available on April 26.
While 30 of the 33 districts have been reporting over 100 cases each day, the numbers are rising by hundreds in many districts. On April 26, Jaipur district reported 2,878 cases, Jodhpur 1,711, Kota 955, Udaipur 668 and Ajmer 660. Only Dholpur, Jhunjhunu and Sirohi narrowly missed the 100 mark. Serious infections are also rising—in Rajsamand (601 new cases), all 32 ventilators were in use on April 26. All five ICU beds in Pratapgarh (139 cases) were full and only 12 of the 118 oxygen beds were available. Sirohi reported 89 cases, but only 19 of its 211 oxygen beds were vacant. None of the 109 ICU beds in Bhilwara (701 cases) was available. All 27 ventilators in Churu (179 cases) were assigned to patients.
Rajasthan is geographically India’s largest state, which compounds the challenges of extending medical help, including oxygen and vital drugs like Remdesivir, to the remote corners. One of the reasons cited for the rural surge is the heavy tourist footfall in the first quarter of 2021. The other reason is trade connections with states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, which witnessed a big spike in cases, and the movement of migrant workers.
There is fear that oxygen beds and ventilators may run out unless cases drop and the recovery rate improves. Against 16,438 new cases reported on April 26, there have only been 6,416 recoveries, which indicates that it may take several weeks before recoveries outnumber fresh cases. Almost 90 per cent of oxygen, ICU and ventilator beds are occupied in most towns even as the spike in cases extends to new territory. ■
AROUND 40 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL CASES IN RAJASTHAN ARE BEING REPORTED FROM THE RURAL AREAS” SIDDHARTH MAHAJAN Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare