In a welcome development, new COVID cases came down by over 800 in comparison to Sunday’s figures even as 13 more patients succumbed to the viral disease in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh in a span of 24 hours.
Fresh cases, which remained 3,000-plus in the region in the past few days, dipped to a little less than 2,400 in the last 24 hours ending 9 a.m. on Monday.
However, the death toll continued unabated as eight more persons in SPSR Nellore district and four in Prakasam died due to COVID, taking the toll to 1,429 in the region. Meanwhile, the recoveries stood at 1,500 in the region, including 956 in SPSR Nellore district.
Close on the heels of a youth getting infected by mucormycosis in Ongole, six more persons on recovering from COVID developed the infection in Markapur in Prakasam district.
While three patients were referred to the Government Hospital at Nandyal in Kurnool district, three others took treatment at home, Markapur COVID-19 nodal officer Ram Babu said. Post recovery, COVID patients suffering from comorbidity conditions reported rise in blood sugar levels, a condition favourable for the fungal infection to develop.
Financial aid sought
An autorickshaw driver, one of the infected persons from Markapur, sought financial assistance from the government for treatment of the disease which was likely to be over ₹10 lakh.
In Nellore, State Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy and Irrigation Minister P.Anil Kumar Yadav inaugurated two ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ facility set up by the Indian Red Cross Society(IRCS) and a shed with a bed strength of 50 at the Government General Hospital for those awaiting allotment of beds in the hospital.
Mr. Reddy said the State government had revived two oxygen plants, adding that as many as 8,000 primary and secondary contacts of infected persons were subjected to testing every day. The district stood first in the State in providing plasma therapy to patients, said SPSR Nellore District Collector K.V.N.Chakradhar Babu.
Care centre for police personnel
In Ongole, Prakasam Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal threw open the Police COVID Care Centre to women protection secretaries and central police forces in the district. Holding a video conference with the personnel, he said the CCC would bear all treatment expenses, including lab investigation charges, and said they could call 9121102270 or helpdesk number 9121104791 for assistance.
