VIJAYAWADA: Fourteen out of 1,179 people infected with black fungus in Andhra Pradesh have died and 97 recovered. At present, 1,068 patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the State for black fungus. The hospitals in the State are facing acute shortage of medicines to treat black fungus cases, Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said. Taking stock of the situation at a review meeting on black fungus on Monday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to make efforts to get adequate stock of medicines to treat the fungal infection.
The officials informed him that the Centre, which controls the distribution of medicines for black fungus, is releasing the stock to States as per the quota. Efforts are being made to find alternative medicines to treat black fungus cases. Not only Covid patients after their recovery, but also non-Covid patients are found to be infected with black fungus, they said.
Giving the details, Singhal said 1,139 Covid patients out of the total 1,179 were infected with black fungus after their recovery. About 40 non-Covid patients were also infected with the fungal infection. Dispelling the theory that those who are on oxygen support for long and those who take steroid treatment are only being infected, he said only 370 out of the total 1,179 black fungus cases, were on oxygen support and 687 took steroid treatment.
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In all, 743 diabetic patients, 130 people with comorbidities and 251 with immunodeficiency were infected. Three are below 18 years of age, while 418 people are in the 18-45 age group, 524 in the 45-60 age group and 234 aged above 60 among black fungus patients, he said. Hospital staff treating black fungus cases are being provided training in use of Amphotericin B and Posaconazole injections and tablets through video conference, he added. Singhal said a declining trend in Covid cases was observed in the State.
On an average, 2,632 Covid cases were recorded per one million population in urban areas and 1,859 cases per one million population in rural areas. The positivity rate also declined from 25.56 per cent on May 16 to 15.91 per cent on May 20 and to 9.5 per cent on May 31. The recovery rate increased from 84.23 per cent on May 7 to 90 per cent on May 31, he said.