CM YS Jagan alerts officials on possibility of second COVID wave in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Wednesday, alerted officials on the possibility of a second COVID-19 wave in the state. Taking part in the Spandana grievance redressal programme through video-conference, the Chief Minister asked the district collectors to stay prepared with all precautionary measures given the pandemic’s current trend in different parts of the globe.

The Chief Minister said that Delhi might move towards another lockdown in wake of the recent increase in the number of cases. He further noted that entire Europe has been hit by a second COVID-19 wave while the United States of America too has been witnessing a rise in cases. With several countries going through the second wave, Mr Reddy said that Andhra Pradesh must be prepared if a similar situation arises, even as the cases have been on the decline of late. With colleges and schools being reopened across the state, CM Jagan asked the district collectors to be alert.

The Chief Minister said that currently, in a single day, about 75,000 tests are being conducted across the state. Mentioning that the total number of tests recently crossed the 9 million mark, he said that the positivity rate has come down. Mr Reddy congratulated district collectors for the effective measures being taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh.

CM Jagan added that ‘104’ should be developed as a single point contact for those looking for assistance related to COVID-19. He reiterated that any infected person, who calls this number, must be alloted with a bed, at a government hospital, within 30 minutes.

As of Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh reported a total of 8,57,395 COVID-19 cases. While the active ones accounted for 16,516 cases of the tally, 8,33,980 people have recovered so far. Unfortunately, 6899 patients have succumbed to the virus. Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday, reported 53 new cases taking the total count to 57,960. The death toll stood at 498.