ONGOLE: As the Covid-19 cases are increasing across the Prakasam district, the medical and health authorities are planning special preventive measures to be implemented to control the number of new cases. As part of the measures, District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr P Ratnavali ordered the programme officers and the concerned staff to conduct Covid-19 tests at bus stands and railway stations where infectees arrive and there is every chance of the virus spreading through them.
As most of the detected Covid-19 positive cases have links with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Maharashtra, the district authorities are planning to identify the infected people who arrive into Prakasam district from these States. As the number of Covid-19 positive cases reported in the last one week have increased, the DM&HO ordered Covid-19 tests on all passengers who arrive in railway stations and bus stands of Ongole, Chirala, Markapur and Kandukur among others for early identification.
Up to March 1, the district has reported 38 positive cases and only seven of them have been shifted to Covid-19 hospitals for treatment. The remaining infectees remaining are under home quarantine. After March 1, Covid-19 positive cases have slowly increased and now Prakasam has a total of 70 cases and the cumulative total rose to 62,253. Of these, total are recoveries 61,603.
At present, Prakasam has 28 active cases. On Monday, a person of Ongole, who arrived here from Hyderabad, tested positive and health department authorities shifted him to the Ongole GGH for treatment.
In fact, the district medical and health department authorities have stationed Sanjivini mobile test vans at the Ongole Bus Stand and Railway Station two weeks ago for Covid-19 confirmation tests. Counters for Covid-19 tests will be set up soon. On the other hand, coronavirus vaccination has been administered to 66,955 persons in the district till Monday.