With a spike in COVID-19 cases in neighbouring states, Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Friday has asked the authorities to ramp up testing and increase vigilance, particularly in 11 districts that share a border with Maharashtra and Karnataka. The decision comes in the wake of a week-long lockdown (March 15-21) being imposed in Nagpur, Maharashtra, owing to the surge in the cases.
According to reports, the Health Minister who had held a review meeting via video conference with the District Medical and Health Officers (DMHO) and other health officials, and asked the authorities to increase the testing to 50,000 per day. Instructions were given to the DMHOs of Adilabad, Asifabad, Jayshankar Bhupalpally, Kamareddy, Mancherial, Nirmal, Jagtial etc, to ensure strict screening of the travellers coming from Maharashtra. Similar instructions for districts bordering Karnataka as well.
“The department must ask people to be vigilant about those coming from other states for jobs, travel or weddings,” Eatala was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
Along with the bordering districts, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts, which are densely populated, have been asked to remain on high alert.
COVID-19 cases in the GHMC are increasing steadily over the past one week. From 28 cases on March 5, the positive cases increased to 44 on Friday in GHMC.
As per the latest medical bulletin, a total of 181 new positive cases and one death was reported on Friday, taking the total deaths to 1,650 till date.
The active cases in the state as on Friday were 1,872, out of which 733 of them were in home and institutional isolation. A total of 1,139 people are undergoing treatment in various government and private hospitals.
According to the bulletin, the case fatality rate and recovery rate continues to be around 0.54% and 98.82%, respectively, against 1.4% and 96.8%, respectively, at the national level.