There was no let-up in coronavirus cases as 23 more patients — 18 in Prakasam district and five in Nellore district — tested positive on Tuesday.
Nine secondary contacts of an infected person from Chirala town contracted the virus in Prakasam district, while a 47-year-old from Markapur town on his return from Vijayawada after attending a marriage suffered from severe symptomatic conditions, COVID-19 nodal officer John Richards said.
A cluster containment action plan was implemented in the affected areas including Chirala and Managamuru Donaka in Ongole, where a 38-year-old woman from Mangamuru Donka area in Ongole tested positive
Health officials are perplexed over the disease spreading to more places in the district. One person each from Jayanthipeta, Chackicherla, Chintalapallipadu, Kothapeta and Darsi were infected. A 17-year-old boy in Raviguntapalli, near Pamur, tested positive after returning from Chennai, a health bulletin compiled by the district administration said.
With this the total number of confirmed cases went up to 205 in the district. Eighty patients are being treated at the COVID-19 isolation ward in Ongole now, while two patients were referred to the Regional COVID-19 centre in Nellore.
In Nellore district, one person each from Buchireddipalem, Varikuntapadu, Jangamvaripalli and Naidupeta were infected. The fifth infected person hailed from West Godavari district. With this, the number of cases rose to 462.
Meanwhile, 15 patients were discharged from the COVID-19 isolation ward in Nellore after making a full recovery, where 191 patients are now undergoing treatment. As many as 495 primary and secondary contacts of infected persons were quarantined.
