Amaravati (AP): Andhra Pradesh’s coronavirus incidence is now being fed by returning migrants. With 66 fresh infections reported up to 9 am Sunday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh climbed to 2780, the state’s health department said. However, the death in the state remained at 56.
Of the fresh cases reported in the past 24 hours, five were linked to the Koyambedu market in Chennai. On Saturday, 12 positives were found among people who returned from Kuwait to Kadapa district.
These 12 were from a batch of 110 persons who returned from Kuwait two days ago. Thousands of people from Kadapa district work in Kuwait as drivers, domestic help and construction workers.
Last week, the Kuwait government gave them permission to go back home and the centre government started flying them back in repatriation flights. This group of 110 reached Tirupati airport were sent to a quarantine centre at the Rajampeta Engineering College.
With Andhra Pradesh stepping up testing to a rate of 5610 per million, the infection is still growing at an average rate of 2 per day. The mortality rate remains at 2 per cent.
While Kurnool and Guntur remain the top two districts in terms of coronavirus infection, the spread has been more vigorous in Nellore and East Godavari in the past two days. Nellore district reported 16 new cases on Saturday, mainly from Sullurpeta and Kotamitta in Nellore city, Gudur, Kavali and Nallagondla in Vinjamur mandal. In East Godavari, 20 new infections were reported by late Saturday evening. Of them, 12 were from Gollalamamidada village of Pedapudi mandal, seven from Bikkavolu and one was from Ramachandrapuram.
The state’s chief secretary Nilam Sawhney held a video conference with district collectors on Saturday and emphasized the need to take up awareness programmes on coronavirus symptoms, tests and treatment and preventive measures.
The fifth phase of a door-to-door survey on the coronavirus incidence is to be taken up from Monday May 25.
