Health authorities in Andhra Pradesh have confirmed 12 cases of COVID-19 across the state between June 26 and July 16. To identify the specific variant currently in circulation, officials have dispatched five patient samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for genome sequencing. Health Secretary and Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Veera Pandiyan claims that the cases have been found spread out in several districts, including Kadapa, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, and Kakinada, without any clustering observed.
The state's first case of the year was detected in the Kadapa district on June 26, followed by 11 further infections between July 1 and July 16. Two of these subsequent cases were identified as close contacts of previously confirmed patients. In general, Kadapa registered the most cases at eight, whereas Guntur had two. Both Visakhapatnam and Kakinada had one case each.
Of the total twelve people who were tested to be positive, four have died. It has been learnt that these four people had comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and kidney-related problems. Of the remaining patients, three are currently in home isolation, two are receiving treatment in hospital, and three have fully recovered and been discharged.
The single case in Visakhapatnam was confirmed after a patient exhibiting symptoms consulted a general practitioner, who referred them to a private laboratory. After the private lab returned a positive result, health officials sent the sample to King George Hospital (KGH) for verification, where the diagnosis was reconfirmed. Meanwhile, the state’s overall tally includes 11 positive results from 67 tests conducted locally between June 26 and July15, alongside one Andhra Pradesh resident who tested positive while undergoing treatment at CMC Vellore in Tamil Nadu.
On a national level, 339 COVID-19 cases have been registered across India since 1 July. Kerala has reported the highest number of infections with 115 cases, followed by Karnataka with 64, Maharashtra with 43, and Tamil Nadu with 39. There have been 18 cases reported in both Delhi and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, while 12 cases have been confirmed in Rajasthan with others reported from other parts of India.
While urging people to be calm, Veera Pandiyan also said that it would be better for people to be careful and take precautions as recommended. He said that all doctors, hospitals, and health workers in Andhra Pradesh have been kept updated.
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