Andhra Pradesh needs to recalibrate its Covid strategy

Going by statistics, it appears Andhra Pradesh is on its way into the third stage of the Covid pandemic, though opinions are divided and officials are loath to admit it. It was, of course, to be expected once the lockdown was withdrawn and people began to mingle freely in public places. At the time of Unlock 1 on June 1, the case count was 3,676 and by July 1, when restrictions were further eased, the number had gone up to 15,252, but well within manageable limits.

Fast forward to July 17, it has shot up to 40,646. If the first 10,000 cases took 103 days, the second 10,000 were recorded in 12 days, the third in seven days and the fourth in four days. Alongside this, casualties too have spiked. The first 50 deaths were reported in 47 days and the last 50 in just a couple of days. The reasons for the surge are varied, but the main cause is the lack of awareness among the people on the importance of wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

The government, on its part, has done almost everything right till date in testing, tracing and treating. It has even pressed into service mobile testing labs to make testing accessible to people in rural areas and has been equipping hospitals with infrastructure to cope with 40,000 patients and more. Currently, the state has 19,814 active cases, which means it can handle double the number.

Much to the relief of the poor and the middle class, Covid treatment has also been brought under the free health insurance scheme Aarogyasri. Nonetheless, going forward, a recalibration of strategy is called for with equal focus on creating awareness and containment. Lockdowns or tightening restrictions should not be ruled out. Kurnool has shown the way by adapting to the evolving situation. The situation in a few other districts such as East Godavari too is serious enough to warrant a partial lockdown in places. Frontline warriors are already stretched thin, and if the numbers keep going up at a faster clip, the situation might become difficult to handle.