While Big Cities Are Seeing Test Positivity Drop, In Rural India COVID-19 Is Spreading Rapidly

On Thursday, Delhi reported 3,213 new COVID-19 infections at a test positivity rate of 5.5 percent, the lowest the national capital has seen since the start of April.

During the same time, the test positivity rate in Mumbai dropped to 4.84 per cent, which again was the lowest in over two months as the city recorded 1,425 new COVID-19 cases.

BCCL

In fact, over the past week, the number of cases being reported from across India has been falling indicating that the second wave may have peaked.

While it is good news that the cities that had been pushing up the COVID-19 numbers in India are seeing a slowdown, there is another development that is causing some concerns.

Rural India suffering

In rural India, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths is on the rise.

AFP

Unlike in the big cities, where a large section of people could get themselves tested or find a hospital bed, in rural India, there are hardly any testing facilities or hospitals or medical staff.

Matter of time rural India could witness surge

Only in the past few weeks, the spread of COVID-19 in rural India began getting noticed, mostly thanks to social media where people posted videos about a high number of deaths in their villages with COVID-19 like symptoms, but never tested or got any medical attention.

Reuters

In rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, just 30 minutes drive from Delhi, a village in Ghaziabad has lost up to 100 people due to Covid like symptoms in just over a month.

Hospitals far away

Residents of Nahal village in Ghaziabad say that after the panchayat elections, the situation started deteriorating. After April 15, people in the village suddenly started falling ill, complaining of mild fever and cough.

Long queues began forming outside doctors' clinics, however, many people recovered after taking the medicine. Those whose condition deteriorated were taken to the big hospitals by their family members. The local hospital is about 5 kilometres from the village.

Reuters

According to the people of Nahal village, from April 15 till May 10 as many as 10 people died in a single day. On other days 3-4 people died daily. The villagers claim that the situation worsened so much that more than 100 people have died in about 30 days in the village.

According to the people of Nahal village, from April 15 till May 10 as many as 10 people died in a single day. On other days 3-4 people died daily. The villagers claim that the situation worsened so much that more than 100 people have died in about 30 days in the village.

Munnawar, the former head of Nahal village, said, "People got fever and their throats were choked. About 112 people lost their lives. The oxygen cylinders were not available. People started dying after developing pneumonia like symptoms."

Reuters

In Agra, villagers are seen crowding under the Peepal trees, spending hours breathing in oxygen, to remain healthy as they believed Peepal trees produced the maximum Oxygen round the clock.

In Haryana, there have been reports of unusually high number of deaths than average in many villages including Mundhal Khurd, Mundhal Kalan and Bapora in Bhiwani, Titoli and Madina in Rohtak as well as some deaths in few villages in Hisar district, with many of those who passed away showing COVID-like symptoms.

Reuters

Over 30 people had died in village Bapora in Bhiwani over the past two weeks, its sarpanch Naresh Kumar had said recently.

A recent report suggests 45.5 percent rural areas are already in its grip. The infection spread and the fatalities rate have gone up alarmingly. Rural districts in Punjab and Haryana are worst affected. Bihar and West Bengal are showing rising trends as is Andhra Pradesh.