Telangana: Take stringent measures to arrest Covid-19 surge, says experts

HYDERABAD: Pandemic and health experts in Telangana have warned that coronavirus cases could rise significantly if more stringent steps are not taken to contain the virus.
As the state reported over 1.36 lakh cases between March 17 and now, experts said the same number was reached in five months in 2020 from March 2 to August 2020, during the first wave.

Experts say the beginning of the second wave can now be identified as the third week of March and the state’s caseload has been racing upwards ever since. The caseload increased at a much faster rate over the last ten days when little over 70,000 cases were reported.
Experts are also worried about the high positivity rate in the state. “The increasing Covid-19 positivity rate from less than one per cent three months back to almost around five to six per cent now shows that the Covid-19 cases are increasing at a higher rate than expected in Telangana during the second wave,” Dr Subodh Kandamuthan, professor and director at ASCI’s Centre for Health Care Management said.
“Cases are increasing not just in GHMC area but also in other districts. A high positivity rate despite the government increasing daily testing over the last few days is a cause of worry as it indicates that there could be a further surge,” Dr Kandamuthan added. According to ICMR-certified researcher Dr Kiran Madala, WHO considers a 5% test positivity rate as a threshold. “When compared to neighbouring states, the situation is comparatively better in Telangana,” he said.