VIJAYAWADA: Erstwhile Visakhapatnam district has recorded a Coronavirus positivity rate of 7.94 percent, compared to less than 5 percent reported in the remaining districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Union ministry of health and family welfare, in its weekly report on district-wise Covid-19 positivity rate across the country, revealed that Visakhapatnam district is recording a Coronavirus positivity rate between 5–10 percent, indicating that the virus is palpable and is going on infecting people. Comparatively, Krishna, Guntur and Chittoor districts have 4.94, 4.79 and 3.70 percent Covid rate respectively, while the remaining districts are recording less than three per cent cases. Vizianagaram is reporting the lowest rate of 0.41 percent, despite its proximity to Visakhapatnam district.
State health authorities attribute the relatively high Coronavirus rate in Visakhapatnam district to high-risk behaviour within urban population, presence of migrant population, referral of Covid cases from peripheral districts and the port city’s national and international connectivity.
Presence of several central institutions in the city means people are flocking to Visakhapatnam for work on a regular basis. There are international and domestic flights landing and taking off from the city.
Thus the scope of Coronavirus thriving here is more. Moreover, Visakhapatnam has several referral hospitals wherein patients are arriving from neighbouring districts of AP as well as from Odisha, Chhattisgarh and other states.
Health authorities have advised people of the city to follow Covid protocols, especially by wearing masks, particularly those aged or suffering from multiple health complications. Even in case such or other people get infected by Coronavirus, there is no need to panic.
They must just take the recommended dose of medicines and stay at home without infecting others. Patients mostly become normal after two to three days.
Incidentally, Andhra Pradesh has reported 172 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 23.2 lakh. 23,05 lakh patients have recovered and just 755 persons are active with the virus.
