Koyambedu cluster adds more to AP's coronavirus count

Vijayawada: Forty-eight new cases of coronavirus infections were reported on Saturday, taking the state’s total to 2,205, the health department said. Of these, 803 are in hospital, and 1,353 have been discharged after recovery. A coronavirus positive patient from Kurnool district died, taking the toll to 49.

Health department officials said that Guntur, Kurnool and Nellore districts reported nine cases in the last 24 hours followed by Chittoor eight, Krishna seven, Visakhapatnam four and Kadapa and West Godavari one each. Among 48 new infections, 31 patients were having a link with Koyambedu market in Tamil Nadu.

Guntur district reported nine infections with six in Guntur city alone at Anandapeta and Sarada Colony and one each at Narasaraopeta, Tadepalli and Penumaka.

Kurnool district registered nine new positive cases with Kurnool city reporting four, Kosigi two while one each was registered at Nandyal, Yammiganur and Kowthalam. The district reported the highest number of 608 confirmed infections and of these, 390 were discharged while 199 are in hospital. The death toll stands at 19. Officials reported nine new cases in SPSR Nellore district, taking the total cases to 149.

Chittoor district reported eight new confirmed infections and of these, two each were from Madanapalli and Varadaiahpalem while one each at Nagalapuram, Punganur, V. Kota and Pichatur. With this, the district recorded 173 cases with 96 undergoing treatment and 77 discharged.

Kadapa district reported one positive case, taking the total cases to 102. Of these, 34 are in hospital while 68 have been discharged after recovery.

Meanwhile, a youngster, identified as Yeddala Venugopal, hailing from Patur village of Nandalur mandal in the district died on Saturday. He was infected with the virus in Kuwait, where he had gone two years ago to eke out a living. His friends in Kuwait informed his family members in their native village. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Visakhapatnam district reported four new confirmed infections taking the total cases to 72. Of them, 45 are in hospital while 26 patients were discharged. One patient has died.

Vizianagaram district reported no new infection on Saturday. Seven infected patients are in hospital. Srikakulam district health authorities reported 21 new confirmed infections taking the total cases to 28 with 24 patients in hospital while four were discharged.

They said that nearly 1,200 migrant labourers, including women and children, arrived from Chennai on a Shramik special train on May 12. All of them were kept in various quarantine centres located in the district.

Two hundred persons are in a quarantine centre at Sastrulapeta village of Sarubujjili mandal in Uddanam region. They tested negative in the initial testing. However, in the second round of tests carried out on them, 21 persons tested positive based on a report from a virology lab in Kakinada.

However, the State health bulletin on Covid-19 did not mention the 21 new cases reported from Srikakulam district in its daily report.