Coronavirus in rural India, the bigger worry

One most worrying feature of the second wave of the pandemic is its spread into rural areas in all parts of the country. The problem is as serious as the shortage of vaccines, medicines and hospital beds and, in fact, increases the impact of these shortages. Estimates, projections and descriptions of the emerging situation in the villages, especially in the North Indian states, are revealing.

Proper data is very difficult to get, and regular and social media accounts do not give the full picture. Some recent reports have said more than half of the current infections are happening in villages. This has to be seen along with the fact that there is much more under-reporting of cases and deaths in villages than in towns and cities. Testing and tracing facilities are also poor.

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Last year, when migrant workers went back to their home states, a big surge in cases was expected in villages. But the spread was not as bad as feared. But now, it is much worse, perhaps because of the higher transmissibility of the virus, protocol fatigue or other reasons. In as many as 13 states, rural areas now have more cases than urban areas. In the five worst-affected states, the test positivity ratio is over 50 per cent. Most of these districts have inadequate health infrastructure. Nearly half of Bihar’s districts do not have any Covid ventilator beds. The situation in UP is no better.

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There are reports of missing doctors, drivers doing the work of ward attendants, overcrowding and complete lack of supervision even in ICUs. Private health facilities are non-existent. One Union minister and a number of state ministers have themselves gone public on the pitiable situation in UP. The situation is bad even in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.

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Deaths are increasing and there are the macabre sights of dead bodies piling up at crematoria, mass burials, and the dumping of dead bodies in the Ganga. Dogs prowl around bodies buried on riverbanks. These are dismal scenes and shows that the administration has lost control of the situation. There is also the fear of other diseases spreading from the dead bodies.

The state was not able to protect people from the pandemic, it does not provide them treatment and they are being denied dignity in death. The situation only varies from state to state, and it is set to get worse when the pandemic moves further into the hinterland. Apart from lives, livelihoods will also be in danger. Governments should consider extending direct monetary assistance to those who are affected and their families.