As many as 184 persons undergoing treatment for COVID-19 have recovered in the last 24 hours, while in the same period, the district reported 163 new COVID-19 cases, ending Thursday morning. The new cases take the cumulative tally to 1,49,297.
The death toll has also increased to 1,025 after one more person succumbed to the virus in the meantime.
The number of discharges/recoveries increased to 1,45,669, while the active caseload came down to 2,603.
District Medical and Health Officer P. Surya Narayana said that out of the total active cases, only around 150 to 200 patients are being treated at hospitals including the CSR block of King George Hospital (KGH) and Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), while the rest of the cases are in home isolation.
In a huge respite for doctors and health staff, nearly 55 hospitals out of around 80-odd hospitals providing treatment for COVID-19, have no COVID-19 patients now, he said.
Delta-plus scare
At a time when COVID-19 cases have been declining in the district, rumours of a ‘Delta-plus’ variant have started to surface on social media since Wednesday night.
It was rumoured that a 51-year-old woman from Vambay Colony of Madhurawada who had tested COVID-19 positive recently, was infected by the Delta-plus variant.
However, Mr. Surya Narayana confirmed to reporters that it was the Delta variant, and not Delta-plus as was being claimed. He added that the woman is recovering well and there is no need for panic. He urged people not to fall for rumours and take to social media and create a scare. When questioned why barricades were put up in the area as containment protocols were no longer being followed, the DMHO replied that it was the locals who had arranged the barricade for their own safety and in order to prevent any possible spread of the virus.
