Andhra Pradesh conducts over 5.1 lakh COVID-19 tests: Here’s the district-wise breakup

As the country entered the unlock phase, the Central and the State Governments across the nation are shifting their focus to increasing testing rate for COVID-19. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stated that as on 11 June 2020, 52,13,140 samples were tested (molecular-based) across India so far. Among the Indian states, Andhra Pradesh has been one of the front runners in terms of the tests being conducted to detect COVID-19.

The Health, Medical, and Family Welfare Department of Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday, shared that the state has tested 5,10,318 samples so far. The State Health Department further claimed that Andhra Pradesh currently leads the charts in the country with 9,557 tests per million. It is to be noted that the state’s tests per million are more than twice the national average (2.443 times).

Out of the 11,602 samples tests conducted in Andhra Pradesh between Wednesday and Thursday, 135 individuals from the state tested positive for COVID-19. 38 individuals from other states and 9 foreign returnees also tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh. 65 patients recovered from the virus in the said period while 2 people succumbed to the disease. With the newly reported cases, the overall number in the state increased to 5429.

In wake of the spurt in COVID-19 cases, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has called for a mass awareness campaign to be taken up across the state. The district and local authorities of e have also been stepping up measures to contain the infection and spread awareness among citizens. Asking the officials to step up the awareness in the coming two to three weeks, the Chief Minister suggested them to take the help of ANMs, Asha workers, and village volunteers for the same.