Chittoor district registered eleven positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday taking the total number to 142. Of them, seven cases were reported from Srikalahasti, two from Varadaiahpalem mandal, one each from Thottambedu and Madanapalle mandals.
According to officials, the new cases included six members of a family from Srikalahasti. A youth in the family, a student at a college in Guntur, who contracted the virus, visited the house at Srikalhasti recently, thus transmitting it to others in the family. His friend also tested positive.
In Madanapalle, a person, who distributed invitation cards for his daughter’s marriage, tested positive. The officials are on the job of tracing those who received the cards from him.
Of the fresh cases reported on Wednesday, four had the Koyambedu link. While those tested positive were shifted to COVID hospital at Tirupati, the persons with possible secondary contracts were sent for quarantine centres in their respective areas.
Special teams
In view of the steady increase of the cases after the Koyambedu episode, Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar has formed special teams in Satyavedu, Pichatur, Nagalapuram, Nindra, Nagari, Puttur, V. Kota, and Madanapalle mandals to identify the persons, mostly small traders of vegetables, besides appealing to the public to go for tests voluntarily. So far, the police have zeroed in on about 1,000 persons who travelled to Chennai since April 20.
Senior IAS officer R.P. Sisodia on Wednesday made a whirlwind tour of the red zones from V. Kota to Satyavedu in the district. He said the number of samples being collected from people who are suspected to ahve contracted the vrus had increased.
In Satyavedu circle, a wine shop at Dasukuppam village, an intersection zone close to Tamil Nadu border, was closed on the request of local MLA Koneti Adimulam following a constant flow people from across the border.
Three discharged
Meanwhile, three persons were discharged from the district hospital in Chittoor on Wednesday. They included two from Srikalahasti and one from Ambur in Tamil Nadu. According to District Collector Narayana Bharat Gupta, of the total 142 cases in district, 77 persons have been discharged so far, while 65 are undergoing treatment and would be discharged in phases.
