Tirupati: Baffled by the increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in nearly 19 mandals in Chittoor district compared to last week, public health experts suspect that mutant variants of the virus could have resulted in a high transmission rate. Chittoor is one of the four districts in the State that is continuing the 6 pm to 6 am curfew.
According to sources, the test positivity rate, which is considered by the state government as a barometer for revising curfew restrictions, was more than 10 per cent in 37 out of 67 mandals in the district. It is said to have increased by at least 5.54 per cent in over 35 PHCs.
During the first wave of Covid-19, the district recorded 88,617 cases by the end of 2020. But, in the election month of April, nearly 33,112 cases were reported in the district while in May it more than doubled at 72,417 cases. Similarly, 116 Covid-19 patients succumbed in April and 331 in May, as against 850 deaths in the entire 2020. The district has recorded 597 cases in the last 24 hours as on Friday.
Though the test positivity rate as well as the number of daily infections had come down substantially in the district over the past few weeks, the rate of decline is comparatively slower.
A senior health official, who spoke to Deccan Chronicle on condition of anonymity, suspected that the Delta variant, coupled with gaps in tracing and isolation strategies, may have played a role in the high transmission rate in parts of the district.
“This variant is one and a half times more infectious. This could be the main reason for most family members testing positive after one member is infected. We can’t confirm this now, as the evidence should come from genomic sequencing”, he added.
At present, samples of Covid patients from the district are being sent to labs in other states and the reports come quite late. The delay has made it difficult for the authorities to ascertain as to which variant is more damaging. For instance, in the case of the first Delta plus variant found in Tirupati, the person’s sample was sent to Hyderabad’s CCMB on April 5 and the result was out on June 23.
