COVID-19 positive cases touched the 700 mark on Thursday with 50 more new cases reported from different parts of Telangana.
The Health department saw discharge of 68 cured cases taking the total number of discharged persons to 186. After admission at isolation wards of government hospitals, they tested negative twice for coronavirus. The process of discharging them was under way on Thursday. No new deaths were reported during the day with the number remaining at 18.
According to the bulletin released by the Public Health and Family Welfare department, the total number of active cases in different hospitals government/private stood at 496, down from 514 on Wednesday and the drop in the active cases was because of the significant number of persons discharged.
The GHMC area topped the list with 240 active cases and 134 persons discharged cumulatively followed by Nizamabad district which reported 42 active cases and discharge of 16 persons.
The total number of positive cases in Vikarabad district too was on the higher side at 32 followed by Sruyapet 23 and Warangal Urban 21. Containment measures were taken up in 159 clusters spread over 13 districts. The department surveyed 3.97 lakh people in 99,257 households across the State.
Public Health and Family Welfare director G. Srinivas Rao asked people with flu-like symptoms, irrespective of their travel and contact history, to report to the nearest government health facility.
The capacity to test swab samples in the State would increase in the coming weeks as Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender said they received permission to test samples at two more laboratories, including at a lab associated with Labour department’s hospital. Samples will be put to test on trial basis from April 18.
Currently, samples are tested at Gandhi Medical College, Osmania Medical College, Kakatiya Medical College, Fever hospital, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), and Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM).
A request was placed to increase staff and equipment at the existing labs which is being worked upon. The Health Minister also said that they have placed order to buy an advanced machine which can test 5000 samples. It is expected to be delivered in three weeks.
Instructions were passed to maintain hygienic conditions, round the clock supply of water in bathrooms at Gandhi Hospital, Fever Hospital and District Hospital at King Koti.
