7 in 10 people say someone close tested positive for COVID-19: Survey
The percentage of citizens saying they don’t have anyone in their close social network who tested positive in the last 30 days continued to decrease from 69 per cent on Jan 3, 48 per cent on Jan 10 to 23 per cent on Jan 17 during the period.
- Jan 19, 2022,
- Updated Jan 19, 2022 12:59 PM IST
A survey conducted by a social media community platform has found that 77 per cent of the participants knew one or more persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 30 days.
The survey, conducted by LocalCircles received more than 18,500 responses from citizens across 312 districts. While 66 per cent of the respondents were men, 34 per cent were women. Forty-one per cent of the respondents were from Tier 1 cities, 33 per cent from Tier 2 and 26 per cent from Tier 3 and 4 cities, and rural districts.
Of the 9,153 participants that responded to the question of whether they knew people who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month, more than 77 per cent said they knew at least one such person in their close circle.
A total of 9,809 participants had responded to the same question on January 10, with 50 per cent saying close friends and acquaintances had tested positive, indicating that the number had increased by 27 per cent in a week.
Further, the percentage of citizens saying they don’t have anyone in their close social network who tested positive in the last 30 days continued to decrease from 69 per cent on Jan 3, 48 per cent on Jan 10 to 23 per cent on Jan 17 during the period.
LocalCircles surveys had, in May 2020, during the first wave of Covid-19, indicated that 7 per cent of citizens had one or more individuals in their close social network who tested positive in the preceding 30 days. This percentage had shot up to 51 per cent during the initial phase of the second wave in March 2021.
The survey states that the COVID-19 numbers might be an understatement as many people take tests at home or do not get tested.
About 41 per cent of the 9,523 participants said they knew one or more people who, despite having Covid symptoms, have not gotten an RT-PCR test done and instead resorted to self-treatment/quarantine at home.
On January 10, this number was reported at 15 per cent.
"ICMR guidelines do not require healthy contacts of COVID positive testing individuals to take the RT-PCR test. Many people are now preferring to either take the home antigen test or skipping the testing altogether, thereby treating COVID like regular viral fever," the report says.
A survey conducted by a social media community platform has found that 77 per cent of the participants knew one or more persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 30 days.
The survey, conducted by LocalCircles received more than 18,500 responses from citizens across 312 districts. While 66 per cent of the respondents were men, 34 per cent were women. Forty-one per cent of the respondents were from Tier 1 cities, 33 per cent from Tier 2 and 26 per cent from Tier 3 and 4 cities, and rural districts.
Of the 9,153 participants that responded to the question of whether they knew people who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month, more than 77 per cent said they knew at least one such person in their close circle.
A total of 9,809 participants had responded to the same question on January 10, with 50 per cent saying close friends and acquaintances had tested positive, indicating that the number had increased by 27 per cent in a week.
Further, the percentage of citizens saying they don’t have anyone in their close social network who tested positive in the last 30 days continued to decrease from 69 per cent on Jan 3, 48 per cent on Jan 10 to 23 per cent on Jan 17 during the period.
LocalCircles surveys had, in May 2020, during the first wave of Covid-19, indicated that 7 per cent of citizens had one or more individuals in their close social network who tested positive in the preceding 30 days. This percentage had shot up to 51 per cent during the initial phase of the second wave in March 2021.
The survey states that the COVID-19 numbers might be an understatement as many people take tests at home or do not get tested.
About 41 per cent of the 9,523 participants said they knew one or more people who, despite having Covid symptoms, have not gotten an RT-PCR test done and instead resorted to self-treatment/quarantine at home.
On January 10, this number was reported at 15 per cent.
"ICMR guidelines do not require healthy contacts of COVID positive testing individuals to take the RT-PCR test. Many people are now preferring to either take the home antigen test or skipping the testing altogether, thereby treating COVID like regular viral fever," the report says.