In a welcome development, new COVID cases fell by more than 1,000 even as nine more patients succumbed to coronavirus in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh in a span of 24 hours.
Health professionals, who have been working overtime to treat the ever-increasing number of patients, had some relief as only 1,915 persons got infected in the last 24 hours ending 9.00 am on Friday as against 2,958 cases registered on the previous day. The number of active cases continued to be high at 28,724.
The number of casualties continued unabated as five persons in Prakasam and four in SPSR Nellore district died of COVID during the period. With this, the toll rose to 669 in Prakasam district and 642 in SPSR Nellore district.
Recoveries
The gap between the fresh cases and recoveries narrowed to a little less than 500 as one short of 1,000 patients posted recovery in SPSR Nellore district and another 452 in Prakasam district.
Arterial roads in Nellore and Ongole wore a deserted look as police strictly enforced the 18-hour curfew. Meanwhile, patients rushing to the hospitals with breathlessness had a tough time in getting allotment of oxygen-supported beds. Some of them were seen arranging oxygen cylinders/oxygen concentrators on their own while waiting for admission.
Kin of COVID victim stage protest
Friends and relatives of a 55-year-old patient who died while waiting for admission into the Government General Hospital in Ongole staged a protest and alleged that the the patient had succumbed to the disease due to delay in starting the medical treatment.
Meanwhile, a Dubai-based NRI P. Mallikarjun, hailing from Singarayakonda in Prakasam district, donated ₹50,116 to the District Police Training Centre that has been converted into a COVID Care Centre(CCC) to provide treatment at par with corporate hospitals.
Prakasam Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal via video conference thanked Mr. Mallikarjun for the gesture towards the Prakasam police.