Telangana Labour and Employment Minister Ch Malla Reddy has tested positive for the coronavirus. In a video message, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader said that he and his wife tested positive for the virus and are currently in isolation. He does not have any other health complications, he said.
The minister further said that COVID-19 tests are being conducted at every Primary Health Centre and asked the public not to panic. Malla Reddy is the latest one among a long list of politicians, who contracted the virus in the state. On Saturday, 78-year-old Telangana Congress Vice President Nandi Yellaiah succumbed to the virus while availing treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) hospital. The veteran leader and eight-time Member of Parliament (MP) was shifted to the hospital on July 29.
Meanwhile, Telangana witnessed the highest single day spike of 2,256 COVID-19 cases on Saturday with the overall tally rising to 77,513, even as the government hoped that there would be some respite from its spread by September end. The death toll rose to 615 with 14 more fatalities, a government bulletin said, providing data as of 8 pm on August 7.
Out of the 2,256 new cases, 464 were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region, followed by Warangal Urban (187), Rangareddy (181) and Medchal-Malkajgiri (138). No cases were reported from Komarambheem Asifabad district. While the GHMC has been the hotbed of virus spread since the pandemic outbreak, some of the districts, including Warangal Urban, Karimnagar and Medchal Malkajigiri, have been witnessing a steady rise in caseload in recent weeks.
Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Dr G Srinivasa Rao said at a press conference in Hyderabad that he hoped the number of COVID-19 cases was expected to come down by September end.
"In the coming days the coronavirus will come down in GHMC limits... we expect it will be under control in GHMC limits by August-end and by September-end across the state. There is a possibility of the number of cases coming down," he told reporters in Hyderabad.
Remdesivir and other drugs being used as antiviral medicines for COVID-19 patients were being made available at hospitals in rural areas also, he said, adding that arrangements were also underway to increase the number of oxygen beds in state-run hospitals from 5,400 to 10,000 in the next two days.