Four more persons from Ongole have tested positive for coronavirus in Prakasam district in the last 24 hours.
With this, the number of infected persons increased to 48 in the district, COVID-19 nodal officer J. Richards said. The four persons were from the COVID-19 hotspot area of Islampet and nearby Bilal Nagar. All of the infected persons have either returned from Delhi or are primary contacts of the returnees.
The family members of the infected persons were shifted to quarantine centres for observation. Ongole accounts for 30 cases in the district.
Collector P. Bhaskar who rushed to the Government General Hospital to take stock of the situation, said that from now, testing of swabs of the patients would be done in the district itself. As many 280 samples could be tested in a single day, he said after inspecting the machines installed at the GGH for the purpose.
He directed the staff to shift the dialysis unit to the Women Empowerment Centre here as the kidney patients were at a greater risk of contracting the viral disease.
In Nellore, the health officials heaved a sigh of relief as five persons got cured of the disease. As many as 59 persons are under treatment. Two persons, including a doctor, had succumbed to the disease in the district.
Meanwhile, industries department cancelled the license of 64 industrial units relating to manufacture of essential commodities in the red zone in SPSR Nellore district. It released guidelines for operation of other industrial units in the 'green zone'. No worker from the 'red zone' would be allowed to travel to an industrial unit in the green zone, Industries Joint Director N.S.R.C.M. Prasad explained.
