The spike in the COVID-19 positive cases in Chittoor district, with 40 cases reported in Srikalahasti town alone, has led to panic among the people of various walks of life, particularly in the rural areas.
The district administration has declared Nindra, Pichatur, and Narayanavanam mandals as red zones in addition to the already existing mandals of Nagari and Vadamalapeta. During the initial stages, it was limited to the heart of Tirupati and Srikalahasti. Now the virus has made its way into the rural areas in the eastern mandals and people have started to feel the importance of lockdown. Unlike in the previous weeks, the gathering of people, aged above 60 and children, has thinned.
During the relaxation period, almost all the medical shops witnessed a rush of people seeking tablets to improve their ‘resistance power’. After the widespread telecast of the demand for ‘hydroxychloroquine’ tablets in the U.S., Europe and Latin American countries and that India is geared up for the massive supplies, a number of people started asking the staff of medical shops to get the tablets for them.
Hari, who works at a medical shop in Nagari town, said people ask for the hydroxychloroquine in different ways. “The educated and those thorough with watching TVs ask them with the name. Some people from rural areas term it as ‘corona tablets’. Some others say they wanted the tablets as it was suggested by some in the TV shows and newspapers.”
But, the medical shops strictly avoid providing them any such medicine. They categorically say that they have not received any stocks of the said medicine. “A big doubt among the people is that when India has supplied huge stocks of the tablets, how is it that they are not available here. We can’t explain to them anything. Just we say — no such tablets,” Mr. Hari added.
Unhealthy trend
A medical officer in the Nagari Assembly constituency expressed serious concern at the people taking medicines as they wish, “hoping to prevent the virus from entering them.” He said that instead of taking precautionary measures as advised by the government, people were taking ‘unnecessary’ precautions. They are maintaining a regimen like taking paracetamol and tablets meant for cold for seven or nine days. During the last three weeks, the medical shops are placing repeated orders for the multivitamin capsules, protein powder and injections used to boost nervous system.
A medical shop owner said: “We are helpless. It has come to our notice that some elderly people with chronic diabetes and hypertension are said to be taking double the dose, thinking that it would boost their immunity. But at this stage of global pandemic, we can’t come out with any suggestions. It’s for the medical fraternity to supervise or issue warnings.”
