Family of three tests coronavirus positive in Andhra Pradesh's Ongole

ONGOLE: As many as three members of a family tested positive for coronavirus at Islampet area in Ongole on Wednesday. The new positive patients include a 56-year-old man and two women of 50 and 25 years. With the new cases, the tally of coronavirus positive patients rose to 12 in Ongole. Of the 12 patients, seven belong to the Islampet area.

As the area had already been identified as red zone, municipal and health department officials have intensified sanitization drive in this area. Bleaching powder and sodium hypochlorite solution were sprayed in the 300-metre radius of the newly identified positive persons’ house. Police have also increased security in the red zone and restricted public movement.        

Of the total 27 COVID-19 patients in the district, 12 belong to Ongole Urban area, five from Chirala-Perala area, three from Kandukur, four of a family from Kunkalamarru village in Karamchedu Mandal and one each from Chimakurthy, Kanigiri, and Konakanamitla.

A total of 101 samples of Tablighi Jamaat meeting attendees and their primary and secondary contacts were sent for testing, of which 24 have tested positive. Of these 24 cases, three returned from Delhi and the remaining are their primary and secondary contacts.  

Meanwhile, as the number of COVID-19 patients is increasing in the district, higher authorities are planning to convert Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Ongole into an exclusive COVID-19 hospital.

In this connection, Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr Venkatesh arrived in Ongole and visited the Government General Hospital and enquired about the facilities there.If RIMS is converted into full-fledged COVID-19 hospital, all the general patients there will face trouble as they will have to go to other hospitals, he said.

Hence the district authorities are planning to suggest to the higher authorities to convert any private/corporate hospital as they also will get benefit with this change as COVID-19 is included in the YSR Aarogyasri scheme and they may claim expenditure bills for treating coronavirus positive patients.
Meanwhile, District Collector P Bhaskar on Wednesday said already 10 COVID-19 patients had been admitted to KIMS Hospital in Ongole and the district administration is planning to convert KIMS into COVID-19 district level hospital.

“Very soon we are going to get PPE and COVID-19 testing kits along with other essential medical equipment,” the Collector said. He also conducted a meeting with Muslim leaders and appealed to them to cooperate with the authorities to identify persons, who attended the Delhi meeting and their primary and secondary contacts.

The Collector also urged people to strictly adhere to the lockdown norms and stay indoors to contain the spread of coronavirus. District Superintendent of Police Siddhartha Kaushal and other officials were also present.

24 have links with Delhi meet
A total of 101 samples of Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees and their primary and secondary contacts were sent for testing, of which 24 have tested positive. Of these 24 cases, three returned from Delhi and the remaining are their close contacts.  Collector conducted a meeting with Muslim leaders and appealed to them to cooperate with the authorities