Three die in Andhra Pradesh, one in Telangana

Kurnool and Guntur, worst-hit districts in A.P., experience spike; 

Karnataka records 18 new cases while Kerala has 10 more

24/04/2020,

 
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,VIJAYAWADA/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/BENGALURU/HYDERABAD

Andhra Pradesh once again saw a spike in COVID-19 positive cases detected in a single day. On Thursday, the State reported 80 new cases and three deaths, taking the tally to 893 and the toll to 27.

One more person with the virus died in Telangana. Two ‘green’ districts in Kerala with few or no cases turned restricted zones with new ones reported.

Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh had 31 of the 80 fresh cases, taking the total to 234. It also reported two more deaths and Krishna district reported one more.

Guntur district followed Kurnool with 18 new cases and 195 in all. Chittoor, an emerging hotspot, reported 14 new cases while Anantapur and East Godavari reported six new cases each, and Krishna and Prakasam two new cases each. Visakhapatnam had one new case.

Meanwhile, 21 patients — nine in Krishna, seven in Chittoor and five in Kadapa districts — recovered and were discharged.

Kurnool and Guntur account for 48% of the State tally. They are followed by Krishna (88), Chittoor (73), Nellore (67), Kadapa (51), Prakasam (50), Anantapur (42), West Godavari (39), East Godavari (32) and Visakhapatnam (22).

So far, 48,034 samples have been tested.

Kerala confident: CM

The Kerala government has concluded that there is no third stage, or community transmission, of COVID-19 in the State.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, briefing the media, said that there was no community transmission, even though the threat of this happening was very real.

There were 10 new COVID-19 cases reported in Kerala on Thursday. New cases in two districts, Kottayam and Idukki, earlier designated as green zones because there were few or no cases, have got the alarm bells ringing. Idukki accounted for four cases and Kottayam, two, bringing the districts back on the restricted zone list. Kozhikode also reported two cases, while Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam had one case each. Of 10 new cases, four were from neighbouring States, two from abroad and four were contacts of imported cases.

In Karnataka, 18 new cases were reported on Thursday, nine from a labour unit in Hongasandra, Bengaluru. All were primary contacts of a 54-year-old migrant labourer who tested positive on Wednesday. Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike sealed the area.

970 in Telangana

Besides the fatality, cases in Telangana touched 970 as 27 new ones were detected on Thursday. Also, 58 people were discharged.

Of 27 new cases, 13 were from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, 10 from Jogulamba-Gadwal district, said Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender. One case each was reported in Kumaram Bheem, Medchal, Jangaon and Rangareddy districts.