Only 28% residents rate Punjab 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.

From the daily COVID cases of around 500-600 during the end-February, Punjab started to experience a sudden surge in the test positivity rate that reached its peak on May 8 with a 9,042 single-day spike. As cases were rising, taking more lives every day, there was utter chaos across the city’s hospitals facing acute shortages of oxygen cylinders & concentrators, ventilator beds, Covid management medicines, COVID test facilities, related supplies and equipment. State’s 17 out of 22 districts did not have a single ICU bed in Government hospitals, leaving critical patients to move the patient to private hospitals. In many cases, delayed hospitalisation led to many deaths, particularly in co-morbidities cases like obesity, high blood sugar and hypertension, which are relatively higher in Punjab. At the time of distress, while caregivers were running from pillar to post seeking aid for their dear ones infected with COVID, many also became the victim of black-marketing and scamming. Punjab Government also faced difficulties to meet the contract tracing target set by the Union Health Ministry.

The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had to eventually impose lockdown-like restrictions since April 8 to contain and mitigate the COVID spread across the state. In the aftermath of 2 months, the COVID-19 daily cases have now come down steadily, along with a decline in the test positivity ratio. There has been an increase in the availability of ICU beds and ventilators in both private and public hospitals, and the vaccination drive is 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 Punjab asking them to rate their State Government’s performance on the overall handling of the 2nd wave of COVID-19. 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 878 responses from residents of Punjab.

Only 28% Punjab residents rate Punjab Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective

The question in the survey asked residents of Punjab, “How do you rate your state (Punjab) Government’s handling (availability of testing, containment, hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, etc.) of the COVID 2nd wave?” In response, 28% of citizens said “effective” and 14% said “somewhat effective. 19% of Punjab residents surveyed rated the Punjab Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as “total failure” and 29% said “Ineffective”. On an aggregate basis, only 28% of Punjab residents rated the Punjab Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective or higher. 878 responses were received on the survey.

Overall, the residents of Punjab after what they witnessed in the last 2-month period aren’t satisfied with the Punjab Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave in the state. This is evident with only 28% of Punjab residents rating the State Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective. As Punjab 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 in a timely manner.

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

Overall, findings of the LocalCircles’ survey indicate that Punjab ranked 11th amongst 17 states of India where 28% of residents have rated the Government of Punjab’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 879 responses from people residing in Punjab. 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.