Telangana records 5 more deaths due to COVID-19, toll mounts to 45

In the second-biggest single-day jump, Telangana on Thursday reported five fatalities due to COVID-19, taking the state's death toll to 45. The state has reported 11 deaths in three days. Two deaths occurred on Wednesday while four fatalities were reported on Tuesday.

The day also saw 38 more people testing positive for coronavirus, taking the state's tally to 1,699. Greater Hyderabad continued to be the hot spot accounting for 26 of the fresh cases. Two cases were reported from neighbouring Ranga Reddy district.

It was on March 30 that the state had reported six deaths, the highest number in a single day.

The state health department has not disclosed any information about the latest fatalities. It merely revised the death toll in the daily media bulletin.

Ten migrants also tested positive, taking the total number of cases among migrants to 99. The Telangana government is considering foreign returnees and domestic travellers who returned to the state and were tested positive for the virus as migrants. 

According to the director of public health and family welfare, 23 persons were discharged from the hospital. With this, the number of people cured or discharged has risen to 1,036. The number of active cases in the state now stands at 618.

One of the deaths reported on Wednesday was that of a 37-year-old constable, the first reported death among a police official in the state. The patient worked as a constable at Kulsumpura police station and belonged to the 2007 batch. He was admitted to hospital for fever on May 13 and tests came COVID-19 positive on May 15. For close to 15 days before he was diagnosed with a fever, the constable was manning a check-post at Puranapul and catching two-wheelers flouting lockdown measures. He passed away at Gandhi hospital on May 20. 

The government advised patients who have flu or any symptoms such as cough, fever etc. to report to the authorities. 

“In case of any Flu/ Influenza-like symptoms such as cough, sore throat, running nose, fever, difficulty in breathing, body pains and headache, please report to the nearest government health facility without delay,” the bulletin read.