The district continues to record a high number of COVID-19 positive cases with as many as new ones 19 recorded on Wednesday, taking the total to 177.
Eight persons tested positive in Guntur — Kummari Bazaar (3), Butchaiah Thota (1) and Srinivasarao Thota (4) — Narsaraopeta (6), Dachepalli (3), Chilakaluripeta (1) and Nakerikallu (1).
Minister for Health Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, who conducted a review meeting, alerted the local administration, saying the number of positive cases could go up in the days to come with testing picking up pace.
So far, RT-PCR tests have been conducted on 5,367 persons of which 5,190 turned have out to be negative and the rest positive.
There seems to be a pattern in the city as most of the cases were reported from the Kummari Bazaar, Anandapet, Srinivasarao Thota and Butchiata Thota areas which had registered cases in the last week of March. Testing of primary and secondary contacts of positive persons points to the possibility of community spread, but the district administration has stopped short of admitting it.
‘Next few days crucial’
Mr. Srinivas highlighted the need for rigorous enforcement of cluster containment and red zones in the city and said the next few days would be crucial in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.
Ministers Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, Mekathoti Sucharita , Special Officer B. Rajasekhar, Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar and JC AS Dinesh Kumar, Guntur SP PHD Ramakrishna, and rural SP Ch. Vijaya Rao SP were present.
