Infant among 40 new positive cases of Covid in Telangana

Hyderabad: A 23-day-old baby is among the 40 fresh cases of COVID-19 reported in Telangana on Tuesday taking the total number of those infected in the state to 348.

A media bulletin on COVID-19 said the total number of active cases in the state has jumped to 348.

The number of people who succumbed to the virus remained 11 while that of those discharged from hospitals after recovery stood (cumulatively) at 45.

The infant was among the three COVID-19 cases reported at Mahabubnagar in the state on Tuesday.

All the three cases were found to have been infected by those who returned after attending a religious congregation in Delhi, an official release said.

According to the media bulletin, till date, there has been no evidence of community transmission of the virus in the state.

The religious congregation attendees and their contacts are being tracked, tested and treated for COVID-19, it said.

It added that measures to contain the virus have been taken up in all districts where positive cases were reported.

Meanwhile, State Health minister E Rajender said he and Municipal Administration minister K T Rama Rao visited the Sports Complex at Gachibowli and a medical college at Moinabad on the outskirts as part of measures to gear up to tackle the spread of the virus.

The sports complex has been converted into a 1,500-bed hospital following the instructions of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in a record time, he said.

ICU and ventilators are also being arranged at the facility.

He noted that all 22 private medical colleges in the state are being readied for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Around 12,000 beds have been readied in the private medical colleges.

The state government has discussed the COVID-19 situation with a team from WHO, who have expressed satisfaction over the arrangements being made by it, he claimed.

The state government is procuring more PPE kits and N-95 masks.

The chief minister favours extension of lockdown beyond April 14 as social distancing is the only way to control the virus in a country like India, Rajender added.