ONGOLE: After reporting a record 783 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, Prakasam registered 344 new cases on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the district to 7,161. 

Among these new cases are two staffers of Ongole- GGH TrueNat lab and four of Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) and staff of many other government offices.  The development may impact the functioning of many government offices in the district.

GGH authorities said they will sanitise the TrueNat lab on Monday and it will be fully operational by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the scarcity of rapid test kits was reported in many area hospitals in the district, especially in Markapur, Giddalur, Chirala and Ongole hospitals, where many people visit every day for preliminary testing.The VRDL and TrueNat testing results are taking more than one week’s time.

Ongole GGH authorities are finding it difficult to provide beds to the Covid-19 patients and they are sending a maximum number of asymptomatic patients to the nearby Covid Care Centres.

Only positive persons in high-risk groups and those in serious condition are being admitted in the GGH. Authorities are also sending many asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients to home quarantine with required medicine kits.

“As the Covid cases are increasing rapidly, we are trying to accommodate a maximum number of high-risk patients in the GGH. But, as many are undergoing treatment in the GGH, we are not in a position to admit asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients here. We request the public to understand the situation,” GGH Deputy Superintendent Dr T Muralikrishna Reddy told TNIE.