Hyderabad: Covid warriors back in saddle

Hyderabad: The surge in Covid-19 cases in Hyderabad over the last few weeks has prompted volunteers and volunteer groups to step up and help those impacted. Many have been spending a major part of their day on the phone reaching out to people who have tested positive, reassuring them, and checking to see if they […]

Hyderabad: The surge in Covid-19 cases in Hyderabad over the last few weeks has prompted volunteers and volunteer groups to step up and help those impacted. Many have been spending a major part of their day on the phone reaching out to people who have tested positive, reassuring them, and checking to see if they need additional medical attention.

Doctors have also resumed offering virtual consultations with the impact of infections relatively being mild as of now and many choosing to get treated at home.

Dr Pakhal Saketha, who has been offering free consultations to Covid patients for over two years now, is attending to over 20 calls every day from confirmed and also probable Covid cases seeking prescription and a basic line of Covid management.

“At least one person is affected with Covid in every family. However, the positive sign is that many are either having mild symptoms or not needing hospitalisation. Cough and severe headache are the commonly seen symptoms while fever is lasting for a maximum of four days,” she says.

In the current situation, the idea of healthcare going digital seems more attractive than ever.

According to Practo Insights, the daily consultations have gone up more than 2.5 times since January 1. More than 50 per cent of all doctor consultations are said to be for general physicians and pulmonologists with major concerns like fever, sore throat, headache, body pain, stuffy nose, Omicron spread, Covid-19 vaccine booster doses and vaccines for children, among others.

Around 85 per cent of these queries have come from metro cities including Hyderabad, some of which are witnessing a steady rise in the number of positive cases every day.

Several volunteer organisations that were active during the first and second waves have been reactivated. Relief Riders, a cycling community, is delivering medicines to people in home isolation.

Ravi Sambari, a member of the group, said that about 150 volunteers are geared up to tackle the third wave and can take about a maximum of 50 requests per day. The volunteers are always double-masked and follow all Covid-19 protocols, including sanitising.

“Currently, there are many people under home isolation. People are mostly raising queries about isolation centres, testing centres and vaccination centres. Food requests are minimal too,” says Sai Charan Chikkulla, who volunteered almost round-the-clock during the second wave.

Tiffin centres, cloud kitchens and home chefs are ensuring that affected families get their daily intake of nutritious meals.

Another volunteer group Feed the Needy, which had launched a Free Last Ride Service for transporting dead bodies of Covid patients, has resumed its services.

“We will also take care of the cremation of any deceased person if no near or dear ones are available to take care of the last rites of their loved ones. Any citizen can avail of our services by calling on 7995404040,” said an official of Feed the Needy.

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