Covid-19: How bad is the second wave? Cases and deaths jump 4 times in rural areas

The problem is further compounded by the fact that these districts are capable of providing only basic healthcare facilities with more developed health infrastructure available in bigger cities of these states.

What has made the Coronavirus second wave more lethal in the country is the increased rate of infection in the rural areas of the country. According to an Indian Express report, the number of Coronavirus cases and deaths during the second wave in the rural areas of the country is about 4 times the number registered at the peak of the first wave in September last year.

As per the available data for 243 districts that come under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme, the total number of Coronavirus cases in these districts till May 5 this year was 39 lakh which is more than four times the 9.5 lakh Covid cases registered till September last year. The number of active cases of Coronavirus in these districts is about 7 lakh which is putting extreme stress on the limited health infrastructure of these areas.

There is a similar trajectory of the number of Covid-19 related deaths registered in these districts —Till May 5, the total number of Covid-19 casualties in these states was 36,523, which is almost four times the number of deaths registered till September last year. The number of Covid-related deaths in these districts as on September 16 last year was only 9,555. About half of these districts fall in five states namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

The problem is further compounded by the fact that these districts are capable of providing only basic healthcare facilities with more developed health infrastructure available in bigger cities of these states. The lack of advanced infrastructure is forcing patients to shift to bigger cities in these states which are already overburdened with the number of infections.