The number of COVID-19 cases in Anantapur District, which was below 50 in the past four months, rose to 197 on Wednesday, with 2,990 samples tested on Tuesday.
The last time the one-day positive cases hit the 200-digit mark was in December 2020. The number of positive cases registered in Anantapur on Wednesday was 90, 17 in Kadiri and 14 in Dharmavaram, while the remaining cities registered in 63 mandalas cases were in the single digits.
While the county government tested nearly 6,000 samples in December and January, the number of positive cases dropped sharply by the end of February, and in March the number of samples tested per day averaged 2,000 per day, but COVID-positive cases were either single digits or registered with two digits under 50.
Crowds
Lack of public behavior at religious events and large gatherings in social functions such as marriages and birthdays resulted in an increase in the number of cases. One apartment in Ramnagar recorded five positive cases a week and a 76-year-old woman died of COVID on Tuesday. DMHO and GGH health workers organized a medical camp and COVID tests for all remaining residents on Wednesday.
The Bhrahmotsavams of Kadiri Narasimhaswamy have been held since March 23, and large numbers of people have come from Karnataka, AP and Telangana. A large number of positive cases from the cities from which the followers visited Kadiri has raised doubts among people as to whether the non-COVID-compliant behavior there was the cause of these new infections.
The police department had run awareness programs in the district asking people to wear masks, and the district administration also went out of their way to raise awareness, holding a candle rally in town on Wednesday asking people to Wearing masks and keeping social distance.