Case count in Kurnool crosses 500

KURNOOL: As many as 25 samples in Kurnool district tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the number of Covid-19 cases here to 516, the highest in the state. Of these, 324 cases are from Kurnool city, and 104 are from Nandyal town. The district has also witnessed the most Covid-19 deaths in the state — 10.

On the bright side, 114 people who were infected recovered and got discharged from hospitals, bringing the number of active cases down to 392. The district administration has marked 40 regions as red zones.
The district’s first Covid-19 case was reported on March 28, and by April 4, there were four infectees. Since then, the district saw a steady rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, and in a month, the tally touched 516. The first coronavirus-related death was reported on April 5.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath, who reviewed the situation in the district, said there is no need to panic. “The mortality rate is low, and 90 per cent of cases are asymptomatic,” he said, adding that people should follow the government’s guidelines to contain the spread of the virus. Reacting to social media reports on the high number of cases in the district, he said, “Kurnool has the highest number of cases as we are doing more tests. Don’t look at the number of positive cases; look at the recovery rate. Every day, at least 10 Covid-19 patients are getting discharged.”

Two blood banks in AP to store Plasma
The state Health department has permitted blood banks at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Tirupati, and Government General Hospital, Kurnool, to collect and store convalescent plasma from people who recovered, as short clinical trials in some countries showed that plasma therapy is effective in treating Covid-19