Many persons who first treated themselves for fevers or colds with medicines sold across the counter later tested positive for Covid-19, by which time they infected others too, officials said. (Express photo/Partha Paul) Many persons who first treated themselves for fevers or colds with medicines sold across the counter later tested positive for Covid-19, by which time they infected others too, officials said. (Express photo/Partha Paul)

The Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have issued advisories to medical shops and pharmacies to note down name, address and phone numbers of anyone purchasing medicines for fever, cold and cough. Officials have been receiving reports that a number of people are purchasing medicines like paracetamol to suppress fever, cold and cough, which could also be symptoms of coronavirus, to avoid testing or face 14-days quarantine if found with symptoms.

Many persons who first treated themselves for fevers or colds with medicines sold across the counter later tested positive for Covid-19, by which time they infected others too, officials said.

The municipal administration and Urban Development Department of Telangana on Friday issued a memo to all municipal commissioners and additional collectors in all the districts in this regard.

“You are requested to convene a meeting with medical shops owners and pharmacists associations urgently and instruct them to necessarily take phone number and contact address of people who are coming to buy these medicines,” the memo read.

The medical store owners should hand over that list daily to authorities who will maintain a directory of all such cases, trace them and conduct tests on the people purchasing the medicines immediately, especially those with symptoms of Covid-19.

“The shopkeepers should also tell customers that getting themselves tested is for their benefit. This will go a long way in containing the spread of the virus in a pro-active manner,” the memo read.

Officials said that due to the perceived social stigma that is attached to Covid-19, people are hesitating to get themselves tested by approaching hospitals or health authorities, even if they have all the symptoms like fever, cough and cold.

“It is observed that some of them are approaching the medical shops and asking the shopkeepers to give them medicines to treat fever combined with cough or cold which are also symptoms of Covid-19,” an official said.

“It is important that we follow up on these cases of people having fever and other such symptoms which might be similar to those of the virus. We should be able to contact these patients and get a test conducted depending on the symptoms, so getting the contact details of those purchasing the medicines is important,” an official said.

In Andhra Pradesh, a Covid-19 control room manned by two doctors has been set up to take calls from people who may have symptoms but are hesitating to go for tests. The government also advised medical shops and pharmacies to take down details of persons coming to purchase medicines like paracetamol.

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