365TELUGU.COM ONLINE NEWS ,Hyderabad, 10 February 2022: Lokal, a hyperlocal social media platform, conducted a survey on their app to understand the gravity of the Omicron variant in the southern states of the country. Over 17500 users from tier 2 and 3 districts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana participated in the survey. The survey was hosted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, the users represented the age group of 22 – 40 years.
With the spike in Covid cases at the onset of the year, south India reported a sharp increase in the spread of the virus. The survey saw 60% of respondents stating that they had at least 2 family members unwell with Omicron symptoms in January 2022. Of which 25% of participants said they had all the family members down with cough, cold and sore throat in the last month itself.
The survey also showcased responsible and vigilant behaviour by the masses in this wave, as 76% respondents said they would consider consulting a doctor after 2 to 3 days of illness. Only 13% of respondents said they would wait for a week to visit a doctor. The survey also witnessed the commitment of citizens of South India towards supporting the government and abiding by the restriction deployed. 82% of participants avoided social gatherings and cancelled their travel plans. The survey also found that the awareness around self-testing covid kit has increased in the tier 2 and 3 cities, as 23% of respondents said they have used it.