The number of active COVID-19 cases slid below the 1,000 mark to 999 in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday though the overall tally rose to 1,930 with the addition of 43 in the last 24 hours.
The COVID-19 death toll in the state also increased by four to 45 while 45 more patients were discharged from hospitals, according to a medical bulletin issued by the state government.
On Saturday, Krishna district reported two deaths while Kurnool district reported one. A 60-year-old woman from Vizianagaram district died in a hospital in neighbouring Visakhapatnam.
Deputy Chief Minister (Health) A K K Srinivas said the woman tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago. She was also suffering from a kidney ailment for some time now, he said.
Vizianagaram district, which remained coronavirus-free all these days, reported its first few cases two days ago. The woman was the first from the district to test positive for the coronavirus.
Following her death, the district now has three active COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Special Chief Secretary (Health) K S Jawahar Reddy informed Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at a review meeting on COVID-19 in Amaravati that more cases of the pandemic were being reported in Chittoor and SPS Nellore districts, bordering Tamil Nadu, as several farmers and others were returning from the Koyambedu market in Chennai.
Chittoor district saw a sudden spurt in cases, with 11 reported in a 24-hour period ending at 9 am on Saturday, as some people who returned from the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai tested positie for the coronavirus. It is suspected that these people contracted the disease at Koyambedu, sources said, adding that several others who also returned from the place were sent to quarantine. However, no new case was reported in SPS Nellore district.
Visakhapatnam too continued to show an upward trend as five fresh cases were registered, taking the total in the district to 62.
The major hotspots Kurnool, Krishna and Guntur reported six, 16 and two fresh cases respectively. In all, 887 people were discharged from hospitals after recovering from COVID-19.
On the other hand, 700 migrant workers entered the state from different points without any permission or medical tests, officials said. As the threat of virus spread from such people was high, officials started an exercise to trace them in different districts and send them to isolation.
Health officials said arrangements were made for medical tests at 11 check posts bordering neighbouring states to screen people coming into Andhra Pradesh. Thermal screening and preliminary tests would be conducted at these places. The state has so far completed testing an aggregate of 1,65,069 samples, of which 1,63,139 turned negative.
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