VIJAYAWADA/TIRUPATI/KURNOOL/SRIKAKULAM: A six-member Central team, which arrived in Vijayawada from New Delhi on Friday to assess the situation and lend a helping hand to the State government in its efforts to contain spread of coronavirus in Krishna, Kurnool and Guntur districts, which reported the maximum number of positive cases, held discussions with Special Chief Secretary (Health) KS Jawahar Reddy.
Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar gave a power point presentation to the Central team on the number of COVID-19 cases in the State and measures initiated by the government to curb spread of the virus.
The presentation also covered enforcement of lockdown in the State and other related aspects. Jawahar Reddy informed that Andhra Pradesh stood first in testing samples in the country and its mortality rate is also better than the national average. Three teams comprising two officials each will visit Krishna, Kurnool and Guntur districts to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, Kurnool, which is leading the table with the highest number of corona cases, has witnessed a steady rise in the number of patients discharged from hospitals after recovery. On Friday evening, an 80-year-old man of Kurnool City, who is the oldest among all coronavirus patients in the district, was discharged from Viswabharathi district Covid hospital.
Along with the octogenarian, 27 patients, including two children below five years of age, were also discharged from Covid Hospitals, said District Collector G Veerapandian. Speaking to mediapersons, he said a total of 221 Covid-19 positive patients had recovered as on date. He hoped that all those who tested positive, would recover from Covid-19. “The increase in Covid-19 recovery rate is a good development,” he observed.
Fisherman returned from Gujarat tests positive
A fisherman from Vizianagaram, who returned from Veraval in Gujarat, tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. Having learnt about it, the official machinery of neighbouring Srikakulam is on high alert as 2,911 fishermen returned to the district from Veraval on May 1.
Tests are being conducted on all the fishermen who returned from Veraval after keeping them in quarantine centres. "We housed the fishermen returned from Gujarat in 32 quarantine centres at different places in the district," said District Collector J Nivas.