Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a meteoric rise in the numbers related to COVID-19 in less than a fortnight as the state has now climbed to the third spot behind Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in the country. In just the last 13 days, the State registered a staggering 96,485 cases with 39,912 coming in only the past four days.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Number of containment zones crosses 20,000 mark in Bengaluru
The city has had a total of 21,863 containment zones, including 13,494 which are active as of Saturday. As the number of such zones are increasing by the day, many citizens and residents’ welfare associations want the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to reassess what falls within such a zone. The highest number of active containment zones is in the South zone at 4,100, while Dasarahalli zone has the least at 363.
Odisha allows private labs to conduct COVID-19 tests
In a bid to augment the testing facilities, the Odisha government on Saturday allowed private hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories to conduct COVID-19 tests through Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR methods, a notification issued by the health and family welfare department said.
Second serosurvey begins in Delhi
A second serological survey, in which blood samples of random people from across Delhi will be taken to check how many have developed antibodies against COVID-19, began on Saturday. “The survey began in five districts on Saturday morning. It will start in the remaining six districts from Sunday,” a health department official said.
The result of a similar survey done from June 27-July 5, in which around 22,000 samples were taken, had shown that 23.4% of the population had developed antibodies.
9,601 new COVID-19 cases take Maharashtra tally past 4.3 lakh
Virus scan: A health worker collecting samples at Bal Kalyan Nagri in Govandi, Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Maharashtra recorded 9,601 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing its total case tally to 4,31,719. The State also reported 322 fatalities, taking its death toll to 15,316.
Mumbai reported 1,047 new cases to take its case load to 1,15,331, while 45 more deaths pushed its toll to 6,398. “Of the total cases in the State, 1,49,214 are active cases,” State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. A total of 2,66,883 patients were discharged in the State on Saturday.
137 days, 1 lakh cases
From the first COVID-19 case reported at Arumbakkam on March 17, it took 137 days for the tally to cross the one lakh-mark in Chennai on Saturday. The 15 zones have cumulatively reported 1,00,877 cases.
City Health Officer Jagadeesan said, “The number of cases is declining in Chennai. The daily number has declined from [approximately] 2,300 to 1,074. But we have not reduced containment activity. We are continuing the same vigil. We cannot say the peak has come,” he said.