Only 23% residents rate Telangana Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective

June 30, 2021, New Delhi: The 2nd wave of SARS-CoV2 that caused havoc in the months of April and May has tested the pulse of every State Government of the country and their efficiency to handle the outbreak vis-à-vis Governance. Just when the country had started to recover from the 1st wave of the pandemic, the COVID-19 and its variants started taking a toll at an unprecedented pace, from the highest 97,400 daily spike (September 10th, 2020) to less than 10,000 cases (1st week, February 2021), which then increased close to 47,000 (3rd week, March) and reached its peak to more than 412,000 cases (1st week, May 2021). The wailing sound of ambulances ferrying COVID patients for days and nights had been a routine at the time. Most hospitals in cities crumbled to provide adequate treatment to those patients waiting in line for the treatment due to an increase in cases. Even crematoriums in major cities ran out of space as bodies were brought for final rites. Overall, the 2nd wave of the pandemic has caused a devastating effect on India and its citizens that will be etched for many years to come.

The Government of Telangana had stopped issuing daily COVID-19 bulletin, citing decline in cases. However, the State started to witness the daily COVID cases of around 400 during the end-March that surged its peak on April 26, with 10,122 single-day spike, and many succumbed to death from the infection. As cases were rising, there was utter chaos across the city’s hospitals facing acute shortages of ventilator beds, ICU beds, Covid management medicines, related supplies and equipment. At the time of distress, caregivers of patients also became the victim of black-marketing and scamming. The State government set up laboratories for testing in 12 districts by the end-April, however, the awareness of testing and treatment remained low in most rural areas since the beginning of the pandemic. The Covid care centers in districts were mostly ill-equipped while the Government website did not give updated information on the availability of beds in urban areas.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi-led Telangana Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao had to eventually impose lockdown from 11 May to contain and mitigate the spread. The COVID-19 daily cases have come down steadily, with a steady decline in the test positivity rate as the State has shown signs towards recovery. There has also been an increase in the availability of ICU beds and ventilators in both private and public hospitals, and the vaccination drive is being administered in full swing.

In the aftermath of all the developments in the 2 months of the 2nd wave of COVID-19, LocalCircles has gone back to the citizens of Telangana asking them to rate their State Government’s performance on the overall handling of the outbreak. 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 3rd wave, which is likely to hit India in 6-8 weeks, as suggested by experts. Medical experts have warned about a new, more infectious Delta Plus variant and emphasised on the importance of continuing to wear a double mask, follow proper hygiene, and maintain social distance. The survey received 2,430 responses from residents in Telangana.

Only 23% Telangana residents rate Telangana Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective

The question in the survey asked residents of Telangana, “How do you rate your state (Telangana) Government’s handling (availability of testing, containment, hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, etc.) of the COVID 2nd wave?” In response, 6% of citizens said, “very effective”, 17% said “effective”, and 32% said “somewhat effective”. 28% of Telangana residents surveyed rated the Telangana’s Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as “total failure”, and 17% said “Ineffective”. On an aggregate basis, only 23% residents of Telangana rated the Telangana Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective or higher. 2,430 responses were received on the survey.

Overall, the residents of Telangana after what they witnessed in the last 2-month period aren’t fully satisfied with the Telangana Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave in the state. This is evident with only 23% of Telangana residents rating the State Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective as indicated by the LocalCircles’ survey. As Telangana Government works on getting ready to handle the 3rd wave, it is critical that all aspects starting from testing, containment, hospital beds availability, readiness to handle child cases of COVID, doctors and medical staff, equipment like ventilators, BIPAP machines, concentrators, medicines and all things COVID are available in sufficient quantities. Also, it is critical that information flow is significantly improved and centralised such that citizens call a single number and based on their condition, location, preferences, budget are assigned the right hospital. Similarly, it is key that the patient information dissemination is streamlined, and hospitals can communicate with the family on the patient’s current health condition.

Ranking of Indian States in handling 2nd Wave of COVID-19

Overall, findings of the LocalCircles’ survey indicate that Telangana ranked 14th amongst 17 states of India where 23% of residents have rated the Government of Telangana’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as high. The ranking of Indian states in handling the 2nd wave of COVID-19 indicate that Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh residents have rated their respective State Governments’ handling of COVID 2nd wave as high. Meanwhile, rating of Bihar and West Bengal were the lowest.

National Press Release

Survey Demographics

The survey received 2,430 responses from residents of Telangana. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.