Addressing the Challenges of Containing Covid-19 Spread in a Rural, Poor Area in India: A Case Study
Madelon L. Finkel *
Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, 402 E 67 St, New York, NY 10065 USA.
Biswajit Paul
RUHSA Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore, RUHSA PO, Vellore – 632209, Tamil Nadu, India.
Rita Isaac
Community Medicine RUHSA Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore, RUHSA PO, Vellore – 632209, Tamil Nadu, India.
David Weller
General Practice Dean International, SE Asia/Australasia Genetic & Population Health Sciences – Centre for Population Health Sciences, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The rapid spread of COVID-19 in 2020 has illustrated how transmissible, virulent, and unpredictable this novel coronavirus is. As of mid-December 2020, over 73.6 million cases have been recorded, with 1.64 million deaths attributed to the disease. This most probably is an underestimate given that testing has been spotty and that an unknown number of asymptomatic individuals are not counted in the statistics. Also, the difference between reported confirmed cases and deaths varies by country, with Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) bearing the highest burden [1].
Keywords: Covid-19, knowledge, education, rural empowerment.