Hyderabad: A positive trend of decreasing new Covid-19 cases is being observed in southern states, which is indicative of well-planned activities and systematic control of cases, an analysis by Indian Medical Association (IMA) has shown. The daily rise in cases emerging from south Indian states is approximately just 5,000 per day.
However, onset of winter, cyclone effect, and elections are three major concerns, which can lead to increase in active cases by December end, observe experts within the IMA.
The analysis made by Indian Medical Association shows that overall supervision in states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala shows that surveillance, contact tracing and increased testing have been effective in these states. This has helped not only control Coronavirus cases but also bring down the number of active cases in these states. Testing has been the highest in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which has helped them trace and track the virus better.
Compliance levels within people have been overall satisfactory. Residents of rural areas have also been able to tackle the disease better due to their better immune response and natural social distancing. The diseased population has been in the age group of 30 to 50 years. This is because elderly people have not been moving out due to which senior citizens remain under protection.
Dr. J. A. Jayalal, national vice president-elect of IMA, says, "Healthcare systems and infrastructure in south India have been able to handle Covid cases and treat them well. Remedesiver has been used early. This has had a good outcome in many patients. The second wave will depend on behaviour of people and following of protocols."
Owing to economic and political activities, there has been movement of people in different parts of the country and the world. This is a matter of concern as following protocols of rest and quarantine are not as earlier. For this reason, there is worry that there can be a spike in Coronavirus cases in the months of December and January.
Dr. Prabhu Kumar C., senior general physician says, "We are seeing increasing number of cases in north India, particularly Delhi. This is an indication that there will be a rise in Covid-19 cases if people do not follow safety protocols. SARS Cov 2 virus is around and it is virulent. Preventive measures must not be given up at any cost," the doctor underlined.
Immunity is higher among people of south India owing to their food, culture and less polluted environment. Experts say this is one of the assets, which has helped the southern region in dealing with the pandemic deftly.
