The severity of COVID-19 subsided in south coastal Andhra Pradesh as the number of positive cases and fatalities continued to decline in the districts of Nellore and Prakasam in the last 24 hours.
The toll marginally increased to 572 in Prakasam district as one more person succumbed to the disease during the period, according to a health bulletin released by the State government on Monday night.
Nellore district registered zero deaths for the fourth day in a row. As a result, the toll remained unchanged at 486. As many as 271 persons tested positive for the disease in the two districts in a span of 24 hours, while 275 patients recovered from the illness during the period.
With 93 new cases, the cumulative confirmed cases rose to 61,251 in Nellore district. However, the number of active cases dipped to 1,315 as 113 persons were discharged on recovery in the last 24 hours.
In Prakasam district, the total number of positive cases increased to 59,834 as 178 new cases were registered during the period. As many as 162 persons recovered from the disease, bringing down the caseload to 1,446. The number of recoveries stood at 1,17,752 with Nellore district accounting for 59,936 recoveries and Prakasam district for the rest.
Taking stock of the health situation, Prakasam District Collector Pola Bhaskar exhorted the medical and education department staff to work in tandem to prevent the spread of the disease as schools reopened on Monday. He wanted the school authorities to ensure that the students compulsorily wore face masks and practised physical distancing. Committees were formed in all schools to identify any sick children and isolate them, District Education Officer V.S.Subba Rao said.