Chittoor district on Friday registered 62 fresh COVID-19 positive cases, which included Srikalahasti with 20 cases, followed by Vijayapuram with 10, Tirupati Urban with nine, and Puttur with 11 cases.
Palamaner and Peddapanjani mandals in the west, which witnessed some respite in recent weeks, also registered fresh cases on Friday. The total number of cases in the district crossed the 1,100 mark, including six deaths reported during the last two months.
The District COVID-19 Hospital at Chittoor has been receiving a steady inflow of patients during the last one week from all over the western mandals. Chief administrator Naresh Kumar Reddy told The Hindu that in view of the fresh cases emerging in large numbers, the hospital is fully geared up to tackle the situation by putting in place all facilities, including beds and medical equipment. He said that the recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients is also improving.
Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar said that in order to tackle the rapid rise in the number of positive cases all over the district, surveillance had been mounted at the border checkposts with CCTV cameras. He said that a majority of the cases reported in the district had a travel history to Chennai or other COVID-19 hotspots. The SP said that police personnel were instructed to enforce the face-mask norm and social distancing at marketplaces.
Meanwhile, 12 patients, including seven women, were discharged from SVRR COVID Hospital at Tirupati on Friday. Nodal Officer Dr. Subba Rao gave away ₹2,000 to each discharged patient as per the government’s decision.