With the spike in the COVID-19 cases across the country, data obtained from Google reveals that metrics representing the searches for ‘RT-PCR’, ‘oxygen cylinder’, ‘Remdesivir’ and 'hospital beds' have surged since March.
The data obtained from Google trends reveals that these search terms skyrocketed on 17 April.
According to Google, on 17 April, the term 'RT-PCR' touched a maximum value of 100 which means that the trend was at its peak and no other term was as popular.
The trends also show 'RT-PCR' was widely searched in New Delhi, followed by Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, terms like 'corona test near me', ' COVID in Ahmedabad' grew more than 5000 percent since 22 March.
In desperate needs of beds, lakhs of people searched for 'COVID hospitals near me', a query which saw the highest interest in Karnataka, while 'Remdesivir' was the most searched in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
An exception was the search term 'COVID vaccination centres near me' – the interest in which peaked during 7 to 13 March.
Spike in COVID-Related Queries
The number 100 represents that a particular term is at peak popularity and is being searched widely. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular.
Desperation for oxygenated beds, remdesivir and other facilities has forced Indians to reach out for help on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
According to a report by The Indian Express, from 17 April to 18 April at least, 1,207 posts were recorded on social media platforms every hour on an average.
While the term 'oxygen' was keyed in 3,700 times a day on an average, it almost doubled to 6,750 posts per day on an average on 17 and 18 April.
India on Thursday reported more than 300,000 coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, the highest daily global total, while the death toll jumped by a record 2,104 cases.
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