Andhra sees sudden rise in Covid-19 cases, total goes up to 89

It is not yet clear whether the spurt in the number of cases was linked to the spread of infection by people who returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a Covid-19 hot spot

Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday reported that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases had more than doubled in the space of just 12 hours, putting the state on tenterhooks.

Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh has reported the most number of positive tests (15).

A health bulletin issued by the state government said as many as 43 positive cases of the coronavirus disease surfaced between 9pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday, taking the overall number of Covid-19 patients found in the state to 89.

Of these 89, two persons – one in Nellore and another in Visakhapatnam -- recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals last week.

“In all, 373 samples were tested in the last 12 hours, of which 330 samples tested negative and the remaining 43 proved positive,” the bulletin said.

Kadapa reported the most number of positive tests (15)), followed by West Godavari (13), Chittoor (5), Prakasam (4), with East Godavari and Nellore reporting two each and Krishna and Visakhapatnam one each.

It is not yet clear whether the spurt in the number of cases was linked to the spread of infection by people who returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a Covid-19 hot spot. The state government on Tuesday announced that around 800 people from the state had been identified as having attended the Jamaat event.

Vijayawada commissioner of police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the police had identified all those who had returned from the New Delhi congregation and all of them had been sent to isolation centres.

On Tuesday, state government advisor (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy declared that Andhra Pradesh was better placed than many other states in containing the spread of the coronavirus disease because of the stringent measures the state government was taking to implement a lockdown.