COVID-19 scare in India after 2 deaths in Andhra Pradesh: Odisha on alert ahead of Rath Yatra, TN says no need to fear
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "COVID-19 scare in India after 2 deaths in Andhra Pradesh: Odisha on alert ahead of Rath Yatra, TN says no need to fear")
Odisha has stepped up COVID-19 after deaths in Andhra Pradesh Photograph: (Freepik)
Odisha has stepped up COVID-19 surveillance after Andhra Pradesh reported fresh infections and COVID-related deaths, while Tamil Nadu said no highly virulent variant is circulating. Odisha has no active cases but has increased testing, monitoring and hospital preparedness as a precaution.
Indian states are going through a COVID-19 scare after two coronavirus deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh within a gap of 10 days. Odisha, which is preparing for grand Rath Yatra in Puri, has stepped up its COVID-19 surveillance and preparedness, even as health authorities confirmed that there are no confirmed positive cases so far. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu government attempted to assuage the fears with a statement saying that there is no evidence of cases rising.
Odisha's heath department officials said that they are ensuring that any potential infections are detected and contained early. Odisha's Public Health Director, Rabindranath Mishra, said that COVID-19 surveillance is continuing across the state, with regular testing being carried out at healthcare facilities. He added that there is no immediate cause for concern, while emphasizing that the state remains on alert. Officials said the state is also following earlier guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry.
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COVID-19 deaths in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh reported several COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. This has led to strengthening of surveillance in the state and preparation of hospitals with isolation facilities. First death in the state was on June 28. .In Rajampeta, a 52-year-old patient had been admitted to the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, with a lung infection and bilateral kidney disease. He was also diabetic and hypertensive. He died after testing positive. In another case, a 46-year-old man from Kadapa district, who was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a hospital there, died on July 7. The district administration traced 28 contacts of the patient and tested them. In both the districts, eight were found to be positive. All are asymptomatic, stable and under home isolation.
A Rapid Response Team has been constituted and senior offiical from the Health Department said Superintendents of all Government General Hospitals had been instructed to earmark 10-bed isolation wards. Hospitals have also been directed to keep RT-PCR test kits, Remdesivir, personal protective equipment (PPE) and N95 masks ready as a precautionary measure.
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"We had understood during the pandemic itself that the virus is here to stay and that sporadic cases would continue to occur. These two infections came to light only because the patients’ conditions deteriorated and they died. Otherwise, we may not have detected them,” the official said.
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Tamil Nadu allays fears
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Health Department has said there is no evidence that COVID-19 is circulating in the state, while also confirming that COVID-19 infections are currently lower than in the previous years. In a press release issued on Monday, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine said that there is no need to fear.
