Telangana recorded 219 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and two more deaths, taking the overall total number of cases in the state to 5,193. Among the new cases, Hyderabad alone recorded 189 cases, followed by the neighbouring Rangareddy district with 13 cases. Warangal urban district recorded four cases, while three cases were reported in Warangal rural, two cases in Medchal and Sangareddy each, and one each in Mahabubnagar, Medak, Adilabad, Yadadri, Wanaparthy and Peddapally.
With 2,766 patients recovering from the disease, the state presently has a total of 2,240 active cases.
With the rise in the number of cases in Hyderabad and other adjoining districts like Rangareddy, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had announced of conducting 50,000 tests in and around the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation jurisdiction over the next 10 days.
The tests would be conducted in 30 Assembly segments of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Medchal, and Sangareddy districts, the CM had said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the government issued a Government Order fixing a cap on the COVID-19 tests and treatment by private hospitals and labs. As per the new pricing tariff, the price for a COVID-19 test has been capped at Rs 2,200; patients would be charged Rs 4,000 per day if they are admitted to an isolation ward and Rs 7,500 per day for patients who are not on ventilator but are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Those patients who are on ventilator support will be charged Rs 9,000 per day. Health minister Eatala Rajender also had said that they are also fixing a cap on antiviral drugs, which would be charged separately.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said that the tests were being conducted only to instill confidence among the people as several are worried about the low testing rate of the state government.
The Health Minister said that they would carry out door-to-door surveillance in Hyderabad due to the rise in cases in the city. Besides, mass testing would be conducted in the containment zones like Jiyaguda, Balapur and Talab Katta, Eatala had said.
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