Test every household in Andhra Pradesh for COVID-19 within 90 days: CM Jagan

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to test every household in the state for COVID-19 withing 90 days. Speaking at a COVID-19 review meeting on Monday The Chief Minister said that comprehensive tests and screenings should be held across the state using well-equipped 104 ambulances.

Stating that focus should be primarily laid on elders above 60 years and those suffering from co-morbidities, Mr Reddy said that the urban areas in Andhra Pradesh must adopt a separate strategy and test people for COVID-19 using urban health clinics. Reiterating the need to raise mass awareness among the public, the Chief Minister noted that the stigma surrounding COVID-19 must be eliminated. Apart from carrying sanitisation activities and distributing medicines, the officials were also instructed to set up hoardings to educate people on the coronavirus symptoms, whom they should consult, and where to get tested.

Chief Minister YS Jagan told the officials to complete the distribution of health cards at the earliest and record the patients’ medical information (including COVID-19 screening details) in an encrypted form.

In Visakhapatnam too, the officials have chalked a similar strategy of intensified testing in an effort to contain the spread of the infection. With the district seeing a rise in the number of containment zones, the authorities announced that every household in these clusters will be surveyed. They further added that individuals, from these clusters, in the high-risk category will be mandatorily tested for COVID-19.

Andhra Pradesh has registered 9372 COVID cases so far with 443 new cases being reported on Monday. The state has been witnessing a significant surge in cases during the first phase of unlocking. The death toll has increased to 111. In wake of this rise, several areas in Andhra Pradesh have once again been placed under complete lockdown.