VIJAYAWADA:  Another 67 cases were added to the State’s COVID-19 tally and another 65 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning, taking the count in Andhra Pradesh to 1,717 and active cases to 1,094. Meanwhile, the toll increased to 34 with death of a patient in Krishna district.  
A total of 8,263 samples were tested between 9 am on Monday and 9 am on Tuesday.

On a bright note, 65 people were discharged from hospitals across the State in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of the cured to 589. Expressing satisfaction over the increasing number of tests being conducted in the state, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during a video conference with district collectors, superintendents of police and other officials said around 35 days ago, the State had just one VRDL (Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratory) at SVIMS (Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences) in Tirupati and results used to come once in two days.

However, today, the State has 12 testing labs in 11 districts. “Despite all our efforts, the reality is that COVID-19 is visible somewhere or the other and it is inevitable that we have to co-exist with the virus.  If someone coughs or sneezes, the others get infected and in the coming days, it becomes part of life. However, the mortality rate is below 2 per cent and mostly aged and those with co-morbidities are more susceptible to coronavirus. We have to take precautions against COVID-19,” Jagan said.