In Bengaluru’s slums, several COVID-19 cases getting reported as normal deaths. The thickly populated areas are also witnessing resistance towards the vaccination, lack of testing and lack of attention from BBMP.

In Gopalpura, Hafiz Mohammad realized his wife was unwell only after she sat down one day, unable to breathe. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was given oxygen after her saturation levels dropped to 40. She died hours later before an RT-PCR could be done.

Nazia Begum was among the many patients, who didn’t make it into the government’s official tally because no test was conducted.

Just 900 meters away, Siddalakahmi’s husband Mahesh had passed away around the same time. The family believes that he died of a heart attack. She said Mahesh was rushed to a hospital after he felt uneasy...

....after some tests at the hospital, he was declared dead. He was buried in a public burial ground. While she is unaware of the treatment given to him, she remembers that oxygen was administered. She didn’t do a Covid-19 test.

Okalipuram ward in Bengaluru, which consists of multiple slums, there have been at least 16 non-Covid deaths in the last month. Nazia and Mahesh were two of them.

Veena, who has been working in the ward since the first wave of the Covid-19 said that there is fear among the people to admit that their families have got the virus. “I can’t tell for sure that if all 16 are Covid deaths but there were some cases with symptoms,” she said.

In KP Agarahara, body of 66-year-old Nagalakshmi was found on April 20 in her house, at least a couple of days after her death. Later, a report dated April 17 showing she was Covid positive, was found in the house. She was living alone.

Removing her body took time as locals had to get PPE kits. When they asked the BBMP about why she was not contacted or had any follow-up calls, even though she had tested positive, officials said they had no information about her testing positive, said Rajesh a volunteer.

Rajesh says there have been at least 20 deaths in the slums around KP Agrahara. The deceased were not tested for Covid and many of them died at home.

For Rajesh, the biggest concern is vaccination. “We want more people to get vaccinated but there are two problems. First, people are not coming forward to get themselves vaccinated. The death of Tamil actor (Vivek) and misinformation around it, has been a big problem," he said.

The second problem, according to him is BBMP workers focused on getting their targets met. “The health workers who were earlier helping with the testing, now have the responsibility to administer the vaccine, and they have targets...

... so, to meet these targets they are going to Majestic (Kempegowda bus terminal) area, where they are able to get more people and slum areas are ignored. We are now trying to create a vaccine centre on our own and get BBMP officials to set up a camp here,” he added.

In Rayapuram ward another area with several slums, 15 deaths were reported in the last 10 days, in which 10 were Covid-19 deaths. While primary contacts have been tested in many of the cases, getting medical facilities has been a problem for the residents.

With the ambulances charging up to Rs 40,000, a volunteer group called Rayapuram Covid Warriors have set aside three autorickshaws to transport patients. They have also converted the Ambedkar Bhavan nearby into a temporary Covid centre as well. Despite that deaths continue.

Venkatesha, a resident of Rayapuram took his 42-year-old wife Peddamma to several hospitals in search of an oxygen bed. “We searched for two days and in the end took her back home. She died at home. We thought at least she will die with all of us around her,” said Venkatesha.