COVID-19 cases in Telangana are on the rise although the Total Positivity Rate (TPR) remains low at less than 1%, according to official figures. Private hospitals are reporting an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, with the state lifting COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. All restrictions in Telangana were lifted on June 20. As per the official figures, the COVID-19 cases are fluctuating between 650 to 750 daily in Telangana, depending on the number of tests.
On July 15, the state recorded 710 cases, 715 cases on July 16, 729 cases on July 17, 578 cases on July 18 (the state had decreased the testing to 90,966 against the usual 1 lakh testing), 746 cases on July 19, 657 cases on July 20, and 691 cases on July 21.
However, the official figures given by the Telangana government may not reflect the reality on ground. Last year, the High Court had pulled up the government for projecting a misleading picture of the pandemic. At a time when the Telangana government was consistently putting up daily death figures of 9-10 for the whole state, the High Court had said that the claims of the government were "unbelievable".
Speaking to TNM about the current situation, Dr Kishan Rao, President of Telangana Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (THANA), said, “Since the last 10 days, there has been a steady increase in the COVID-19 cases in hospitals. While we do not have the numbers yet, the rise in cases has certainly been steady.”
“It is inevitable, people have been callous, flouting the COVID-19 protocol and participating in gatherings, so there has been an increase in the cases for the past 10 days,” said Dr T Linga Rao, a member of THANA.
Earlier this week, Telangana Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao cautioned the public against participating in festivities with massive gatherings, and said that the second wave of COVID-19 was yet to be brought under control.
“Only two months back, when the number of hospitalised cases was high, we struggled so much for beds, oxygen and medicine. People tried to blame the government. But now the people are being irresponsible and going back to the same path again,” he had said. He had further emphasised that the frontline workers are exhausted. “All the health, police, municipal department and other personnel are exhausted. They can’t keep doing this again and again,” he had said.
The Director of Public Health said that the surge in cases is being witnessed in some districts where large public gatherings had taken place recently. He had also cautioned the public to wear masks consistently to curb the spread of the virus.
So far, over 1 crore people have been administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while about 25 lakh are fully vaccinated in the state.