From Our Bureau
20TH JULY 2020
Telangana witnessed a surge with 1,198 COVID-19 fresh cases reported on Monday, taking the State’s total to 46,274 confirmed cases. The death toll rose to 422, with seven fresh fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. In all, 34,323 patients recovered so far, including 1,885 in the last 24 hours.
As on today, 11,530 active confirmed cases are in the hospitals or in home quarantine now, as per the latest official update. The number of recovered patients accounted for 74 percent of the total positive cases in the State. Active cases constituted 25 percent of the total positive cases. Fatalities accounted for less than one percent of the total positive cases.
According to the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, as many as 2,76,222 samples were tested in the State cumulatively, including 11,003 in the last 24 hours. Only 10.8 percent of the samples tested positive in the last 24 hours. Cumulative sample positivity rate was 16.8 percent. The tests per million population worked out to 6,906 as on date. Total number of testing laboratories was 39, including 16 government labs and 23 private labs.
All the 1,198 fresh cases were reported among locals, taking the sub-total of this group to 45,825. No fresh case was reported among the migrants, deportees and foreign evacuees and their sub-total remained at 449. Thus, the total confirmed cases tally included 45,825 locals, 207 migrants from other States, 212 deportees from other countries and 30 foreign evacuees.
COVID positive cases were reported from 29 out of 33 districts on Monday. The tally included 510 cases in GHMC area, 106 in Rangareddy district, 87 in Karimnagar district, 76 in Medchal district, 73 in Warangal Urban district, 50 in Mahbubnagar district, 36 each in Jagityal and Mahbubabad districts, 31 in Nizamabad district, 27 in Nagarkurnool district, 26 in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, 24 in Nalgonda district, 13 in Medak district, 12 each in Jangaon and Suryapet districts, 11 each in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Adilabad and Vikarabad districts, 10 in Sangareddy district, nine in Mulugu district, eight in Peddapalli district, four in Asifabad district, three each in Khammam, Mancherial, Siddipet and Jogulamba Gadwal districts and one each in Warangal Rural, Nirmal and Yadadri Bhongiri districts.
As on today, 61 Government hospitals have established a capacity of 17,081 COVID beds, of which 11,928 are isolations beds, 3,537 are oxygen beds, 1,145 are ICUs beds and 471 are ventilator beds. As on today, the bed occupancy is 12.42 percent and 87.58 percent of the available beds are vacant. Only 2,122 beds were occupied and 14,959 beds were vacant.
The Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, is identified as the “Centre of Excellence for COVID Care,” where serious cases are admitted. The other major hospitals in Hyderabad where suspects and moderately symptomatic cases are admitted are District Hospital King Koti, Government Chest Hospital and Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical Medicine (Fever Hospital).
The asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients requesting for institutional quarantine are admitted in Nature Cure Hospital, Govt. Nizamia Hospital, Govt. Ayurveda Hospital and Govt. Homeopathy Hospital.
Patients with moderate to severe symptoms, with COVID positive report are advised to go to Gandhi Hospital where the Government has made elaborate arrangements for treatment and management. Patients with symptoms but not yet confirmed and requiring COVID-19 testing should go to District Hospital, King Koti, Fever Hospital and Chest Hospital.
The Government has made elaborate arrangements for treating COVID-19 patients. Sufficient beds are available in Government hospitals. Based on the clinical requirements, beds are provided and treatment is given free of cost in Government hospitals. Sufficient quantities of personal protection equipment (PPE) and medicines are available in these hospitals.
The lockdown has been relaxed since the 16th May 2020. It is being observed that there is a lot of mobility and movement of people from all walks of life and of all age groups. People are travelling across the state and some of them are not following the basic preventive measures like wearing a mask, maintaining safe physical distancing and avoiding overcrowding. There has been a surge in the cases since relaxation of lockdown. (eom)
