GHMC yet to reveal details of door-to-door Covid survey

HYDERABAD: To improve the treatment side of COVID-19 management, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) took up door-to-door surveys, where they checked people for fever and other Covid-19 symptoms, and handed out free Covid-19 kits. However, the civic body has not been disclosing the number of free kits disbursed, or the number of people who show test positive for Covid-19. 

Between May 4 and May 10, over 3.25 lakh people were surveyed during the door-to-door surveys and over 1.18 lakh were tested for fever and other Covid-19 symptoms in all the 30 GHMC circles, however no information have been made available about persons having Covid-19 symptoms, how many of them given free Covid kits, or the number of people tested positive.

Sources said that while over 3 lakh have been tested, how many of them are Covid positive remains unknown. Sources estimate that about 15-20 per cent of the persons are infected. The details of the distribution of the free medicine kits were not even disclosed as people would panic, if the latter had a coronavirus.

The GHMC announced that it had supplied free medicine kits to 1,400 persons suffering from fever and Covid-related symptoms during the survey on May 4 and another to 3,600 people at out patient counters in UPHCs and Basthi Dawakhanas, but stopped disclosing the details from May 5. Some people suspect that the information is not being given out to control the panic surrounding the crisis. On the other hand, some have expressed skepticism that details will not be disclosed on assumption that if tests are done, more people will be positive.