Andhra Pradesh Government vows all steps, says no need to panic

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh registered one positive case of COVID-19 and the person along with his family members and those who visited the family recently were quarantined, the government said adding that there was no need to panic and steps were being taken to tackle any eventuality.

Speaking to media here on Friday, special chief secretary, medical and health department, K S Jawahar Reddy said the person who tested positive hails from Nellore and had recently returned from abroad. He along with his family members, their maid and her family members were quarantined. A screening unit is in place at Vijayawada, while a full-fledged testing facility is being set up at Tirupati while quarantine wards will be made available at Visakhapatnam, he said.

The medical and health department has taken up a cluster containment strategy and is implementing it in the Nellore district. Upon identifying a positive case, in a radius of one kilometre, as many as 20,000 households have been screened for the presence of the virus and there were no positive symptoms. Across the state, 564 people, who have been abroad were put under isolation. While 331 of them are still under observation, 12 are in hospitals.

"As part of the precautionary measures, the state government has identified two quarantine facilities at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, which can accommodate 500 and 200 people respectively. All foreign returnees are advised home isolation for 14 days and contact a helpline for medical advice prior to visiting a hospital," he said.

The state is well equipped to treat the cases of coronavirus and established testing laboratories at Svims Tirupati and GGH Vijayawada. With the approval of ICMR, screening and confirmatory tests are being done at Svims Tirupati and screening test alone in Vijayawada. Proposals were also made for Kakinada hospital for processing screening tests. As on date, 56 hospitals have been identified with isolation wards and district level. Rapid response teams were also formed along with taskforce teams. Public are advised not to panic and take necessary precautions by maintaining hygiene. People who are experiencing symptoms like cough, fever, breathlessness are advised to contact 104 helpline or call centre 0866-2410978.

Do's and Don'ts:

All foreign returnees are advised home isolation for 14 days and stay away from family members too.

The waste generated (food wastes, masks, etc.,) by these members has to be packed in double bags and sprinkle with bleaching powder on top, left about an hour before disposal.

The foreign returnees are advised to contact the doctor through 104 helpline for medical advice prior to visiting a hospital.

As far as the general public is concerned, they are advised not to come in contact with any of the close relatives returning from foreign countries.

Not to spit in public places and cover your nose with a handkerchief while sneezing or coughing.

Do not touch mouth, nose or eyes with hands and wash hands with soap frequently.

Contact a helpline for medical advice prior to visiting a hospital.