Surge in COVID-19 cases continues in Nellore, Prakasam

112 more test positive in two districts; virus spreads to remote villages

Strict surveillance: A drone camera deployed to monitor the movement of people in a containment zone in Nellore.

There was no respite from COVID-19 in south coastal Andhra Pradesh as 112 persons -- 94 in Prakasam district and 18 in SPSR Nellore district -- tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

The pandemic spreads rapidly in Ongole which accounted for as many as 25 fresh cases. With this, the total number of positive cases stood at 662 in the district, according to a health bulletin released by the Prakasam district administration. As many as 2,377 persons tested negative for the virus. The results of 2,743 persons are still awaited.

Cluster containment action plan was implemented in the Konjedu bus stand centre in Ongole where three fresh cases were reported. Lockdown was enforced strictly in Nirmal Nagar, Pathivari street, Siva Prasad Colony and Shanti Nagar in the city as they registered new cases.

The virus spreaded to remote areas in the district. Villages of Ballikurava, Chinnarikatla, Mundlamuru, Mangamoor, Kotalapalli, Singarayakonda, Pamur, Chinnapavani, Vemulakota and Kondapalli registered fresh cases, giving a tough time for the officials to implement the cluster containment strategy. Officials attributed the rapid rise in new cases to travel by persons to their native places in the district from COVID-19 hotspots in other States.

Primary contacts quarantined

In Nellore district, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 849. Nellore city accounted for a maximum of 12 fresh cases followed by Kavali with two cases and Kaligiri with one new case. Two persons, hailing from Prakasam district and another from Anantapur, also tested positive for the virus. The number of active cases stood at 330 as 12 patients were discharged on recovery. So far 505 patients recovered in the district. As many as 302 primary contacts of infected persons were quarantined.