VISAKHAPATNAM: A full-blown third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have arrived in Andhra Pradesh as several urban local bodies and rural mandals are reporting over 20% daily case positivity rate.
In the first and second waves, urban pockets were the predominant contributors to the caseload at least in the initial months before the pandemic sneaked into the rural areas.
For instance, in the disease epicentre East Godavari district, the urban areas of Rajahmundry and Kakinada contributed to nearly 80 per cent cases in the first four to five months of the first wave in 2020. Amalapuram revenue division outnumbered its urban counterparts in the consequent months. The position in the first three months of the second wave that started in March 2021 was similar.
But the situation is now different with almost all places of Andhra Pradesh reporting a massive surge in daily Covid-19 cases within two weeks into the surge. Sullurpeta in Nellore district posted a frightening 27.9% case positivity rate on Friday, followed by Visakhapatnam (22%), Tadepalli (22%), Muthukur (21.6%) in Nellore district, Parawada (21.6%) in Visakhapatnam district, Rajahmundry (21.5%), Rajam (20.9%) in Srikakulam, Tirupati (20.3%). Several rural mandals are reporting over 10% case positivity rate. Visakhapatnam district recorded about 22% weekly case positivity rate between January 7 and 13.
Going by the signs of rapid community transmission and unprecedented doubling rate of two to three days, it may not take months for the third wave to progress into its peak.
Meanwhile, the state has decided to revive state and district oxygen war rooms in view of the sudden surge in the cases. These war rooms would be responsible for monitoring the production, storage, transportation, distribution, consumption and supply chain of liquid medical oxygen. A trained team called 'oxygen savers' will be developed for every hospital to ensure that the average oxygen consumption by any hospital shall be in the optimum range of 20 litres per minute per oxygen bed.
State Covid-19 nodal officer and Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences director Dr K Rambabu asked the public to avoid large gatherings and strictly adhere to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. "The positivity rate of the state has shot up to a concerning level, while the cases are doubling every three to four days. There should be no place for any complacency as the virus is spreading at alarming rates," said Dr Rambabu.
