A video journalist working for a Telugu TV channel died from COVID-19 in Tirupati on Sunday. The 45-year-old journalist was admitted to a COVID-19 hospital on Saturday evening with fever and breathing problems, and tested positive for the coronavirus, a hospital official told PTI.
According to reports, journalist Parthasarathy had been working for different news channels for more than two decades. The cameraman is survived by his wife and two children.
Andhra Pradesh Ministers P Ramachandra Reddy and K Narayana Swamy, and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu condoled the death of the journalist.
Deeply saddened to learn about the death of senior cameraman Saradhi Garu who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Sri Padmavathi hospital in Tirupati. He devoted three decades of his life to bring out stories that matter to people. My prayers are with his family & friends. pic.twitter.com/i1vfordGXL
— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) July 12, 2020
“Deeply saddened to learn about the death of senior cameraman Saradhi Garu who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Sri Padmavathi hospital in Tirupati. He devoted three decades of his life to bring out stories that matter to people. My prayers are with his family & friends,” TDP chief Naidu wrote on Twitter.
TDP General Secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh also offered his condolences on social media. “Pained by the passing away of senior cameraman Sri Saradhi Garu in Tirupati while being treated for COVID-19. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. Request media personnel to be alert & aware during this crisis & take care of themselves & their families,” Lokesh wrote.
On Sunday, Chittoor district recorded 159 new COVID-19 cases. There are 1,473 active patients in the district, and 21 people have died from the disease as of Sunday morning.
Across the state, 1,933 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the 24 hours ending at 9 am on Sunday. The daily count has been at an all-time high for four days in a row. On Sunday, 19 COVID-19 related deaths were recorded across the 13 districts of the state. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh stands at 29,168, of which 13,428 are active patients.
With PTI inputs