Another MLA of the ruling YSRCP tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday in Kurnool district. Dr J Sudhakar, the MLA for Kodumuru assembly constituency, tested positive on Thursday. He is the second legislator to test positive in the state this week.
Sudhakar was exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms for the last two days and was under home quarantine, reported Sakshipost. The Kodumuru legislator visited Viswa Bharathi hospital in Kurnool on Thursday and was tested positive for the virus the same day. He has been shifted to an isolation ward at the hospital.
The family of the legislator has also been placed under quarantine and local authorities are identifying those who had come in contact with the legislator as he had been touring his constituency since the lockdown eased, reported Oneindia.
Earlier this week, Kadubandi Srinivasa Rao, the YSRCP MLA from Srungavarapukota constituency had recently returned from a trip to the US and was under self-isolation for a few days. He had however attended the assembly session at Amaravathi on June 16 and tested positive on June 22. His personal security officer also was infected with the virus. Several legislators who attended the assembly were later tested and all results had come negative then.
Sudhakar tested positive a week after the assembly session through a TrueNat test. TrueNat tests, which were earlier used for detecting tuberculosis, were recently approved for confirmatory testing by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
All the legislators who had come in contact with Sudhakar have been placed under quarantine.
Kurnool is one of the worst affected districts in Andhra Pradesh with a total of 1,615 COVID-19 cases and 48 deaths till Friday. Out of this, 694 people are currently availing treatment and 873 have been discharged.