VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has reported 12 Covid-19 cases between June 26 and July 16, with four patients succumbing to the infection.
In a release issued on Thursday, Health Secretary and Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare G Veerapandian clarified that all four deceased patients had serious pre-existing illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and other chronic health conditions.
According to the Health Department, the first Covid-19 case of the year in the State was detected in Kadapa district on June 26. Eleven more infections were reported between July 1 and 16.
Two of the infected individuals were identified as close contacts of previously confirmed Covid-19 patients. Kadapa recorded the highest number of cases with eight, followed by Guntur with two, while Visakhapatnam and Kakinada reported one case each.
Veerapandian said the cases were scattered across different mandals and localities, with no evidence of a cluster outbreak. Between June 26 and July 15, the state conducted COVID tests on 67 people, of whom 11 tested positive. Another patient from Kakinada district was diagnosed with the virus after undergoing testing at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, in Tamil Nadu.
Among the 12 confirmed cases, three patients are currently under home isolation, two are receiving treatment in hospitals, and three have recovered and been discharged.
To identify the circulating variant, five samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for genome sequencing on July 9.
The Health Department reiterated that all four fatalities involved patients with severe underlying medical conditions. Three of the deaths were reported from Kadapa district and one from Kakinada district.
Appealing to the public not to panic, Veerapandian urged people to continue following preventive measures. He said doctors, hospitals and healthcare personnel across the state have been placed on alert to respond to any further cases.
The department also noted that 339 Covid-19 cases have been reported across India since July 1.
Kerala recorded the highest number with 115 cases, followed by Karnataka (64), Maharashtra (43), Tamil Nadu (39), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (18), Delhi (18), Rajasthan (12), while the remaining cases were reported from other states.