Corona cases surge in Telangana again; touch 700 mark

Hyderabad, April 16 (IANS) A day after showing a downtrend, COVID-19 cases in Telangana spiked again with 50 persons testing positive on Thursday.

With this the total number of positive cases in the state rose to 700. No death was reported on Thursday. The death toll now stands at 18.

State Health Minister Eatala Rajender told reporters that 50 persons tested positive out of 800 samples tested during the last 24 hours. He said 90 per cent of the cases were from Hyderabad.

He said 68 persons would be discharged from hospital on Thursday. This would take the total number of patients recovered and discharged to 186.

The health department is focusing on containment zones created in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which account for the majority of the cases.

He said some of those who had come in contact with the returnees from the Markaz meet in Delhi had still not reported to authorities. He appealed to all such people to report to authorities immediately to save themselves and their families.

Rajender pointed out that coronavirus spread among the families of the attendees of the Markaz meet. “From six persons the virus spread to as many as 81 people,” he said.

The minister said the government was trying to replicate in Hyderabad the containment strategy implemented in Karimnagar. He said though the 10 Indonesians who tested positive visited several houses in Karimnagar, the health personnel succeeded in containing the spread.

He also stated that the intensity of the spread is more in Hyderabad compared to the districts.

The state had reported only six cases on Wednesday but the samples tested were from outside Hyderabad.

–IANS

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