The Andhra Pradesh government in Amaravati on Sunday, claimed that its doctors had set a record by conducting 5,508 COVID-19 tests a day, taking the second place among states conducting maximum number of tests per million.
The doctors achieved the record on Saturday even without using the rapid test kits, which are now available in the state, they claimed. This was revealed at a review meeting, held by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday, on the containment of coronavirus.
The testing processing would be intensified in 7 to 10 days by conducting over 17,500 tests a day. The officials said that the health personnel would start using random test kits in two days.
Random tests will be conducted in the red zones while 32,000 identified in family surveys will also be tested.
The officials briefed the Chief Minister about the steps being taken in Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna and Nellore districts which have reported a large chunk of the total cases in the state. The Chief Minister asked officials to focus on the red zones.
He said special care should be taken in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the hospitals for which a special drive should be taken up once in every two to three days.
Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Director General of Police Gautam Sawang and Medical and Health Special Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy were among those who attended the meeting.
As many as 44 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, taking the total number of infections in the state to 647 on Sunday. In all, 44 new cases were reported in a 24 hour-period ending on 9 am on Sunday.
With a total of 65 discharged and 17 deceased, the number of active coronavirus cases in the state stood at 565.
According to the state COVID-19 Dashboard, an aggregate of 26,958 tests were carried out till date, of which 26,311 turned negative.
Of the 75 coronavirus positive cases reported in Krishna district, Vijayawada alone had 60.
Of those discharged, nine were from West Godavari district, six from Kadapa, three each from Visakhapatnam and Chittoor and two from East Godavari, according to the daily bulletin.