Hindupur in Anantapur district is turning into another hotspot of positive COVID-19 cases and containment activities are in full swing, though no new cases were reported on Wednesday.
While Kurnool recorded 22 new cases taking the total to 115, Anantapur did not get any new positive case and the number stood at 21.
Sudden scare
There was a sudden scare among people when about 120 persons on Wednesday emerged from a masjid in Mukkadipeta in Hindupur town’s red zone. Ward volunteers were in for a shock when they did not allow them to take their details, despite being a red zone.
District Collector Gandham Chandrudu and COVID-19 Special officer Vijayanand told mediapersons that 70 of them were convinced to come to a quarantine home and give their samples for testing and the remaining 50 were also being persuaded to come to the quarantine facility. They are from Tablighi Jamaat and had come from Gujarat and Delhi in the last week of February and first week of March and were staying there since then.
Five new cases
Kurnool recorded five new positive cases, all from district headquarters city. While there were two COVID-19 deaths, one patient was discharged from hospital on Tuesday after he turned normal. Central Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gouba on Wednesday held a video conference with select districts with a large number of positive cases, at which District Collector G. Veerapandian and SP Fakkerappa Kaginelli explained about the containment measures being taken.
Samples collected
In Anantapur district cumulatively 1,763 samples were collected and of them 1,228 results were received with 1,207 being negative and results of 535 samples were awaited. In all, 21 persons tested positive and two persons died. While 19 others were getting treated at the COVID-19 Hospital at KIMS Saveera, the first two positive patients from Hindupur, a 34-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy could be discharged on Thursday if their second sample test also comes negative.
Out of the 21 positive cases in Anantapur district, nine were reported from Hindupur, followed by seven in Anantapur city, two in Hindupur Rural mandal, one each in Lepakshi, Kalyandurg and Kothacheruvu mandals, District Collector Gandham Chandrudu said and wanted the volunteers and ANMs to immediately trace all the contacts of people testing positive so that they could also be quarantined and tested for COVID status.
