Vizag records 41 new COVID-19 cases as tally inches close to 500

The COVID-19 tally in Vizag district surged to 484 with 41 new cases -its biggest single-day spike yet- being reported on Monday. According to the report received on 22 June 2020, 269 cases have been marked active while 212 patients were discharged after testing negative for the virus. So far, 3 patients in the district have succumbed to the infection.

The report stated that Gandhi Nagar (Zone 1), Muslim Thatichetlapalem (Zone 4), Sai Ram Nagar (Zone 4), Tenneti Nagar (Zone 4), and Vepula Veedhi Wood Peta Anakapalle have been demarcated as the new containment clusters in Visakhapatnam district. With the latest additions, the number of very active containment clusters has risen to 38. While 37 clusters fall under the active category, 25 are being considered as dormant. As on Monday evening, 26 clusters in the district have been denotified after not reporting a new COVID-19 case for the past 28 days.

Speaking about the spurt in COVID-19 cases in Vizag, Andhra Medical College (AMC) Principal, Dr PV Sudhakar informed that the authorities are working on boosting the testing strategy in Vizag. “We are increasing the testing capacity. Especially in the containment areas, we are also testing other individuals from the high-risk category on a priority basis. Despite the increase in COVID-19 cases, we want to do more testing so that the chain can be broken and the virus can be contained,” he said. Sharing that people should be more vigilant and socially responsible, he added that it is human attitude which is ultimately going to decide the severity of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continued to surge in Andhra Pradesh as the state reported 443 new cases on Monday. Among the newly reported cases, 392 are from the state, 44 from other states, and 7 are foreign returnees. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh has now risen to 9372. The COVID-19 death toll in Andhra Pradesh increased by five with Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, Krishna, Ananthapur, and West Godavari districts reporting a death each. The death toll currently stands at 111.

The media bulletin by the Health Department stated that 16,704 samples were tested for COVID-19 between Sunday and Monday. The total number of Andhra Pradesh individuals discharged rose to 3437. On the other hand, 946 patients from other states and 52 foreign returnees have been discharged so far, post-recovery.