VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh has been ranked second among 17 major states in terms of Covid-19 second wave management and handling by state governments, as per a survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform.
About 54% of the respondents have rated the second wave handling mechanism of the state government as effective. Tamil Nadu stood in the first place in the survey.
From an average 70 daily infections in February, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a sudden surge in the transmission numbers that reached its peak with 24,171 cases on May 16. The intensity of the second wave led to a severe shortage of oxygen and ICU beds and other Covid-19 related facilities. The unprecedented case positivity rates and transmission levels forced the state to impose a partial curfew since May 5.
However, things have improved in the last four weeks on all parameters – be it case positivity rate, oxygen supply, R number, bed availability, etc.
Speaking to TOI, Sachin Taparia, chairman and CEO, LocalCircles, said that the second wave created havoc and tested the efficiency of the pandemic management of every state.
LocalCircles has gone back to the citizens of Andhra Pradesh, asking them to rate their state government’s performance on the overall handling of the second wave. This allows both the broader citizenry and the government to understand where things stand and what needs to be worked upon. This is vital to effectively handle the third wave, which is likely to hit in the next six to eight weeks, as feared by experts,” said Sachin Taparia. He added that the elaborate community-based tracking system with its huge field-level network might have worked in favour of the state in containing the pandemic. “The state also took aggressive awareness programmes on social media platforms by sending messages on Covid appropriate behaviour,” he said.
