Strictures tightly clamped, Gadag, Vijayapaura villages lead the way

In Gadag, apart from the 59 villages with no cases, more than 50 villages have single-digit cases.
A health worker collects swab samples of a resident at a village in Vijayapura
A health worker collects swab samples of a resident at a village in Vijayapura

GADAG/VIJAYAPURA: At a time when Covid-19 is spreading at a rapid pace in the hinterlands of Karnataka, there are still a number of villages which have staved off the pandemic with success. According to a recent survey, as many as 59 villages in Gadag and 74 villages in Vijayapaura have zero Covid-19 cases.

In Gadag, apart from the 59 villages with no cases, more than 50 villages have single-digit cases. In April, several villages had 20-30 cases and now have a mere 3-4 people infected with coronavirus. The district succeeded in controlling the outbreak due to the efforts of the gram panchayat, zilla panchayat and health department officials, who took it up as a challenge and imposed strict lockdown in rural areas. According to district officials, similar strategies will be implemented in other villages to make them Covid-free.

“Patients with cough and cold and in home isolation were given the right treatment at the right time. People were discouraged from gathering in common spaces. Residents also supported the efforts of their respective panchayats. This helped us reduce the caseload. A strict lockdown has been imposed and the GP staff are keeping vigil in all wards,” an official said. Panchayat development officers have also been monitoring migrants who came to the district before the lockdown.“There are 59 villages with zero cases. The numbers will fluctuate… but we want to increase the number of zero Covid-19 villages. We have directed Gram Panchayats to check residents for Covid-19 symptoms a nd treat them immediately, in cooperation with health and ASHA workers,” said Gadag ZP CEO Bharat S.

Meanwhile, in Vijayapura, 74 villages have not seen a single Covid-19 case in the second Covid-19 wave.  
ZP CEO Govinda Reddy told The New Indian Express, “A door-to-door-survey helped us identify nearly 1,000 Covid-19 cases in rural areas. We put symptomatic patients on early medication. Among the infected, over 85 per cent are in home isolation. In order to prevent them from stepping out of their homes, we are delivering grocery kits at their doorsteps.”

“We will continue with the door-to-door survey in all villages, including Covid-free villages, to identify new symptomatic persons. If anyone is found to be symptomatic, they will be tested and given proper treatment. We believe this is the only way to break the chain and bring down cases in rural areas,” said Reddy.
 

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