Anantapur district on Covid alert

ANANTAPUR: Medical department officials on Friday have alerted the district administration following reports of Covid-19 positive cases in Anantapur Medical College and Government General Hospital. Sources said at least four medical students and two general hospital staff members had tested positive.

The medical college administration announced a week-long holiday for students.

More than 150 students of medical college were tested and all of them reported negative, sources said. The infected students are being treated at a super specialty hospital.

In addition, two positive cases were reported in Hindupur which was the initial point of outbreak of epidemic in Rayalaseema region. The medical college students reported positive on Thursday where a total of 13 cases were reported from Anantapur district. On Friday, eight positive cases were reported in the district taking its overall total to 67,924 and the recovery figure standing at 67,228 cases.

Health minister Alla Nani alerted the district medical and health department over the rise of cases in the district. The minister spoke to Anantapur DM&HO Dr. Kameswara Prasad and sought proper care for all patients. The minister's office revealed that at least 4,000 Covid tests are being held in Anantapur district every day. About 106 active cases are being treated at the Covid ward in the general hospital while 66 persons were in home quarantine.

The minister also directed district administration to conduct RTPCR tests on a large-scale.

Meanwhile, the government general hospital presents a gloomy picture. There are no measures to check protocol violators. More than 3,000 people, including patients, visit GGH every day and a majority of them are without masks.