Despite high recovery rate, plasma donation yet to pick up

Active cases come down to 5,638 in Nellore after 305 get discharged

A health volunteer explaining to people the social etiquette to be followed in times of the pandemic, in Ongole.

The death toll due to coronavirus in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh rose to 134 with 15 more patients-- eight in Prakasam(total 77) and seven in Nellore district(total 57)--succumbing to the pandemic in the last 24 hours.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 15,425--9,342 in Nellore district and 6,083 in Prakasam-- as 316 and 384 fresh cases were reported in the two districts respectively.

Meanwhile, Nellore District Collector K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu exhorted the recovered persons to come forward to donate plasma to save the lives of critical patients.

Though the recovery rate was high, plasma donation had not picked up yet to the desired level, the Collector said. As many as 305 patients were discharged from the hospitals in Nellore district. With this, the number of active cases came down to 5,638.

Collector allays fears

People need not fear as a majority of the patients recover and return home safely, he said after congratulating a private doctor, A.K. Chakravarti, who donated plasma at the Indian Red Cross Society unit here.

Incentive for donators

“All that we have to do is to take the advised precautionary steps like wearing a mask and frequently washing hands with hand sanitiser. The State government is providing an incentive of ₹5,000 to those who volunteered to donate plasma,” he said.

While the critical cases were being treated at the designated hospitals, patients aged below 40 were treated in COVID Care Centres. Asymptomatic cases opting for home isolation were allowed to take treatment at home.

In Prakasam district, 1.51 lakh persons were screened so far out of which 1.47 lakh tested negative for the disease, including 3,606 persons on Monday. The results of 4,392 persons were still awaited.