VISAKHAPATNAM: Dandu Bazaar area in the city has emerged as a hotspot for coronavirus cases. A 65-year-old woman from Chandaka Veedhi tested positive first. Ten Covid-19 cases were reported from the area till Tuesday. Two more persons from the area tested positive on Wednesday. The two new cases, however, will be notified officially in the health bulletin on Thursday.
With the two new corona cases, the total count in Visakhapatnam district has gone up to 41. Of the total, 21 patients were discharged from hospitals after their complete recovery. The number of patients undergoing treatment at Covid hospitals is 20. Dandu Bazaar area comprises narrow lanes and bylanes with hardly any space in between houses. As a measure to curb spread of coronavirus, almost all people living in the area were asked to undergo test.
According to officials,160 people were tested on Tuesday and 60 more from Chandaka Veedhi on Wednesday. The test results are expected on Thursday. However, the officials are yet to identify the person from whom the people in the area contracted the virus. It was suspected that the son of the woman who tested positive first in the area, returned from Hyderabad in the same train Tablighi Jamaat attendees travelled. The 27-year-old youth and two women of the family also tested positive. Later, six more persons from three families staying in the neighbourhood, tested positive.
They reportedly assisted in shifting the old woman to King George Hospital. As the area is densely populated, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation authorities had taken concrete steps to check spread of coronavirus. As part of the measures, a cluster containment strategy team comprising 11 GVMC sanitation staff was deployed to sanitise the entire core area with power sprayers and mobile sprayers.
GVMC Chief Medical Officer of Health KVLG Sastry said they took up spraying of sodium hypochlorite solution on the main road and internal roads in the area. As many as 120 people were tested in Zone III on Wednesday, he added.