The intensity of the second wave of the coronavirus did not even decrease a bit in Andhra Pradesh on the south coast, as the viral disease claimed 14 more lives and infected 1,794 more people within 24 hours.
The number of active cases approached 20,000 in the region as more than 1,133 people in SPSR Nellore district and 661 people in Prakasam district tested positive in the last 24 hours that ended at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. This emerges from a health bulletin published by the state government.
Eight deaths in Nellore
The toll hit the 1,240 mark in the region when eight patients in the SPSR Nellore district and six in Prakasam lost the battle against the disease during the period. The virus has so far claimed 628 deaths in Prakasam and 612 in Nellore district.
The number passed the 1.53 lakh mark in the region, with SPSR Nellore district accounting for about 82,000 cases to date and Prakasam district accounting for the remainder.
The hospitals in the two districts were overcrowded with patients as the positivity rate remained high compared to the recovery rate. The number of new cases increased by more than 1,200 compared to recovery as only 573 patients, including 425 in the SPSR Nellore district, were discharged. The recovery rate, which was over 99% up to the last month, decreased further to 86.28%.
SPSR Nellore District Collector KVN Chakradhar Babu reviewed the health situation and admonished health professionals to take the pressure off hospitals by only keeping patients in need in hospitals and sending those who need further health monitoring to COVID-19 care centers. Only those with spacious accommodation should be allowed to isolate, as patients in overcrowded homes were found to have accelerated the spread.
He stressed the need to allay patients’ fears by building trust among them and wanted doctors to conduct a daily audit of the availability of oxygen and medication.
Meanwhile, Junior Doctors at Government General Hospital in Ongole have won patients ‘hearts and doctors’ appreciation by working around the clock and helping patients recover. According to the hospital’s superintendent D. Sriramamurthy, freshmen did their chores efficiently under the guidance of senior doctors.
Waiting longer for vaccination
As of late Friday, more than 11,000 people in the Prakasam district took part in the shock, said District Medical and Health Doctor Fr. Ratnavalli. The current 10,000 doses inventory would be reserved for those in need of the second dose of vaccine. People in the 18-44 age group would have to wait as priority would be given to those over 45.