VIJAYAWADA: Underscoring the need to increase the number of laboratories for testing more samples so as to identify the coronavirus positive cases and segregate them from others, Leader of the Opposition and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has said that the number of laboratories in AP is less compared to other States. In an open letter shot off to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday, Naidu expressed concern over the sudden spurt in +ve cases in the State and urged him to take immediate steps for enhancing coronavirus testing capabilities in order to contain the dreaded virus.
Naidu attributed the sudden surge in positive cases to the poor testing in the State. “AP has just four labs as against 23 in Maharashtra, 17 in Tamil Nadu, 15 in Telangana, 15 in Delhi and 12 in Kerala. Only 1,307 tests were conducted so far in the State as against 6,323 in Maharashtra, 7,965 in Kerala, 6,530 in Rajasthan, 3,799 in Karnataka and 2,796 in Tamil Nadu,” he pointed out.
The State government should study the effective steps being taken in other countries and States for their replication in AP so that grave danger could be avoided to the lives of the people in the coming weeks.
Suggesting the government not to suppress the facts on COVID-19 cases, he said such a step would deteriorate the situation. “There are rumours that corona deaths in Kurnool, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry were suppressed,” he said.