Covid death toll in Amt at 7; suspect’s death triggers panic

TNN | Apr 28, 2020, 04:24 IST

Amravati: The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) toll in the city climbed to seven with swab test reports on Monday confirming 72-year-old deceased from Taj Nagar, who died on April 24, as a positive case.
Panic gripped the city after a 50-year-old paan vendor from Sindhi community-dominated Kanwar Nagar locality died at Covid-19 Hospital on Monday morning. His swab samples have been sent for testing and reports are awaited.
Apart from this, samples of two youngsters who were among close contacts of a 40-year-old Tarkheda woman, who had died on April 23 at her home, also tested positive.
At seven, Amravati has till date registered highest deaths in Vidarbha.
Collector Shailesh Naval said health administration on Monday received 53 swab test reports in two batches which confirmed Taj Nagar resident as Covid victim and two from close contacts of Tarkheda woman as Covid positive. Rest 50 samples tested negative, said Naval.
The two contacts who tested positive are both male youngsters aged 21 and 25. He added that both were in institutional quarantine and now have been shifted to Covid-19 ward.
With three new cases today, the number of positive cases in Amravati has gone up to 23, including seven deaths and four recovered persons. There are 12 active positive cases in Covid ward, said Naval.
Meanwhile, police have cordoned off Kanwar Nagar locality following the death of paan kiosk owner while Amravati Municipal Corporation has launched sanitization drive.
“This man was suffering from fever, throat pain and breathing troubles for five days and was brought to Covid Hospital on Monday morning from a private hospital. He died soon after,” said an official, adding his swab has been sent for testing.
Meanwhile, the two youths detected positive today have taken the number of contacts of April 23 deceased woman contracting novel coronavirus to three. Her 33-year-old contact had already tested positive on April 25 last.
Up to April 26, the health administration has sent total 944 throat swabs for testing and of them 23 have come positive while 761 negative. “We are still awaiting reports of 153 samples from Government Medical College, Akola,” said an official.
Earlier in the day, in view of the spurt in positive cases from the cluster zone, Naval, police commissioner Sanjay Baviskar, AMC commissioner inspected health facilities, survey work, medicine availability in high-risk and low-risk areas of the cluster zone.
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Collector Shailesh Naval inspecting Sakkarsath locality in Amravati on Monday