Chamarajanagar: Surge came mostly from rural pockets

With no proper infrastructure in villages, pressure is high on the district hospital

Surrounded by forests and hills, Chamarajanagar district which staved off the first wave of COVID-19 till as late as June 2020 and was in the ‘green’ category for long, is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases in rural areas than in urban centres in the second wave of the pandemic. The district witnessed the shocking deaths of 24 COVID-19 patients within 24 hours between Sunday and Monday, some of whom died allegedly due to lack of oxygen. The surge in the number of positive cases in rural areas is indicated in the statistics from the district administration as per which 2,255 cases were reported in Chamarajanagar district between April 1 to April 25 this year against which 1,697 cases (or 75%) were from rural pockets. In contrast, the urban regions reported 558 cases which accounted for 24.74% of the total cases between April 1 and 25, according to Deputy Commissioner of Chamarajanagar M.R. Ravi.