Chittoor district, which recorded fewer than 500 cases per day for the past week, is now seeing a surge again, with over 900 cases reported on Friday.
The district also remained at the top of the state for the death toll, with nine casualties in the past 24 hours. Since March last year, Chittoor has recorded 1,575 COVID-related deaths.
With the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. curfew eased, public movement normalized, even though COVID protocols were largely ignored. There was heavy traffic in many places in the district.
With the third wave looming, the district’s medical and health administration has stepped up efforts to move additional staff and medical equipment to COVID hospitals and care centers. Although APSRTC buses to Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu do not have to resume operations yet, private vehicles are allowed to cross the border unhindered.
The report of a Delta-plus variant case that surfaced Friday from Tirupati had made officials nervous, but they were relieved after knowing the patient had fully recovered and about 30 samples in the neighborhood were also negative have been tested on the variant.
District Medical and Health Physician (DM&HO) U. Sreehri said medical and health field workers have been urged to be vigilant in the face of growing cases in recent days. “Compared to the positivity rate of 45% in May, the current rate is 5%. Nonetheless, we make compliance with the COVID protocol a top priority, ”he said.