Coronavirus | Kerala expands first line centres, A.P. deaths up

Local bodies in Kerala to add beds for mild cases; Andhra Pradesh tries rapid antigen tests; Karnataka death toll now 61

July 21, 2020 11:05 pm | Updated 11:06 pm IST - Bengaluru

Keeping the virus at bay: A vendor selling sanitisers at IGMC stadium on M.G. Road in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh on July 21, 2020.

Keeping the virus at bay: A vendor selling sanitisers at IGMC stadium on M.G. Road in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh on July 21, 2020.

Bengaluru continued to lead COVID-19 spread in Karnataka, with the State reporting 3,649 positive cases on Tuesday. The total number stood at 71,069. There were 61 new deaths, adding to the toll of 1,464.

Of the 3,649 cases, 1,714 were in Bengaluru Urban, as were 22 deaths. A total of 1,664 patients left hospital after recovery, adding up to a total of 25,459 people discharged. The Health and Family Welfare Department said of 44,140 active cases, 583 patients were in the ICU.

 

A total of 43,904 tests were conducted on Tuesday, the highest for a single day.

Andhra Pradesh reported 62 new deaths, the highest single-day spike so far. The State reported 4,944 new cases, raising the tally to 58,668 and death toll to 758.

The State witnessed 350 deaths and over 25,000 cases in the past one week.

There were 32,336 active cases and 1,346 patients who were discharged in the past day, and recoveries rose to 25,574, the Health Department said.

More than half of the new deaths were in East Godavari (10), Visakhapatnam (9), Chittoor (8) and Srikakulam (7). The remaining were in West Godavari (6), Anantapur (6), Guntur (5), Prakasam (5), Kurnool (4), Kadapa (1) and Vizianagaram (1). All new cases were of local origin. West Godavari reported 623 new cases, the highest in the State, and Guntur 577.

The State conducted 37,162 fresh tests and 20,552 of them were RT-PCR, TrueNat and NACO tests. The remaining were rapid antigen tests. Of the RT-PCR, TrueNat and NACO tests 3,363 were positive and so were 1,581 in rapid antigen tests.

Kerala’s focus was on ensuring adequate treatment facilities in all areas.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there was no need for apprehension about possible inadequacy in treatment facilities. He said patient numbers had not risen so much that things were out of control . The State’s cumulative cases rose to 13,994. Recoveries stood at 5,892, with 274 recovering on Tuesday. One more death was reported from Pulluvila in Thiruvananthapuram, taking the State’s toll to 44.

Thiruvananthapuram topped in cases, reporting 151 on Tuesday, of which 144 were due to local transmission. Mr. Vijayan said that local self-governments were readying first line treatment centres to treat patients with mild or no symptoms. As of July 19, there were 187 such centres with 20,404 beds.

By July 23, the State expected to have 742 CFLTCs, with a total of 69,215 beds.

Telangana’s case total touched 47,705 as 1,430 more tested positive. Seven more COVID-19 patients died taking the toll to 429. The new cases included 703 from Greater Hyderabad, 117 from Rangareddy and 105 from Medchal districts.

(With inputs from Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Kerala bureaus)

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