Two more persons tested positive for coronavirus in SPSR Nellore district on Thursday.
With this, the number of active cases rose to 55 in the district, which has been declared a COVID-19 hotspot by the Centre.
The fresh cases were reported from Nellore city, COVID-19 nodal officer Narendra said.
The mouth swab of a 65-year-old person, who died during treatment, confirmed that he was carrying the dreaded virus. He had returned from Delhi after taking part in a religious congregation there. A doctor from Nellore, who underwent treatment at a private hospital in Chennai, was the first casualty in the district. A student who had tested positive after returning from Italy had recovered.
Irrigation Minister P. Anil Kumar Yadav said that the situation was under control, with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy constantly monitoring the situation and taking active steps to prevent the spread of the disease. Mr. Anil Kumar exhorted people living in containment zones to cooperate with the government and confining themselves to their homes.
Ongole unchanged
In Ongole, health officials heaved a sigh of relief as 653 persons tested negative for the disease. The number of active cases stood at 41. Drones were used by the civic staff to sanitise the COVID-19 hotspot of Islampet in the city, which accounted for the highest number of 20 active cases.
More than 51,000 persons in the containment zones were under surveillance in the district, which has also been identified by the Union Government as a COVID-19 hotspot.
