VIJAYAWADA: There was no let-up in Covid-19 surge in Andhra Pradesh as 22,204 out of 1.16 lakh samples tested in the 24 hours ending Wednesday 9 am returned positive, making it the highest single-day spike so far. The spike took the overall caseload past 12 lakh and active caseload to 1.70 lakh.The state also reported 85 fatalities after which the overall toll stood at 8,374. Chittoor, where six more people died of Covid-19, became the first district with a toll of over 1,000.
After over 1.69 crore samples tested so far, the total infection positivity rate stood at 7.11 per cent even as Wednesday’s positivity rate stood at 17.36 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin released by State Command Control Centre. The state went from 11 lakh to 12 lakh total cases in just five days, the fastest surge since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in March last year.
Meanwhile, there was a marginal decline in the daily recoveries as 11,128 were declared cured in the 24 hours, pushing the overall recoveries to 10.27 lakh. Four districts reported over 2,000 new infections; the sharpest spike of 2,344 was seen in East Godavari. Kadapa was the only district to report under 1,000 new cases, which took the tally past 67,000.
Barring Chittoor and Srikakulam, the daily growth in cases in all districts was higher than Tuesday’s. With the fresh additions, Viskahapatnam’s tally went past 89,000, Kurnool’s 86,000, Anantapur’s 91,000 and Nellore’s 86,000.
All districts reported fatalities in the 24 hours. Out of 85 deaths, 11 each were from Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, 10 from Anantapur, nine from East Godavari, eight from Prakasam, seven from West Godavari, six from Chittoor, five each from Guntur, Kurnool and Nellore, four from Krishna, three from Srikakulam and one from Kadapa.