The number of COVID-19 cases in the Anantapur district, which stood below 50 for the past four months, shot up to 197 on Wednesday, with results of 2,990 samples tested on Tuesday.
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The last time the single-day positive cases reached the 200-figure mark was in December 2020. The number of positive cases registered on Wednesday in Anantapur city was 90, 17 in Kadiri and 14 in Dharmavaram, while the remaining towns in 63 mandals recorded cases in single digit.
While the district administration was testing close to 6,000 samples in December and January, the number of positive cases fell sharply till February-end and in March the number of samples tested per day stood at an average of 2,000 per day, but the COVID positive cases got registered either in single-digit or in double digits below 50.
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Lackadaisical behaviour on part of the public attending religious functions and large gatherings in social functions like marriages and birthdays resulted in the spike in the number of cases. One apartment in Ramnagar recorded five positive cases in a week and a 76-year-old woman died of COVID on Tuesday. The DMHO and GGH health staff arranged a medical camp and COVID tests for all remaining residents on Wednesday.
The Bhrahmotsavams of Kadiri Narasimhaswamy have been taking place from March 23 and a large number of people came from Karnataka, A.P. and Telangana. A large number of positive cases coming from the towns from where the devotees had visited Kadiri, has created doubt among the people if the non-COVID compliant behaviour there was the source of these new infections.
The police department had been conducting awareness programmes in the district asking people to wear masks and the district administration too did not leave any stone unturned to spread awareness and held a candle rally on Wednesday in the city asking people to wear masks and maintain social distance.