Covid cases spike gives jitters to Chittoor

Tirupati: Covid cases are surging again in Chittoor district for the last 20 days causing concern to the district administration. From just 4 cases reported per day for a long time, the number of active cases being registered every day is said to be around 20 per day.

In fact, the entire official machinery has done commendable work during the peak stages of the pandemic with which the number of cases has witnessed a huge drop since October 2020. With the latest rise in the cases, the officials have geared up again to arrest the further spread of the virus.

It may be noted that the district has been witnessing a huge rush in all temples across the district where Covid norms are totally missing. Many people are not wearing masks and have been ignoring even hand sanitisation.

District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr M Penchalaiah told The Hans India that the district experiences a floating population more from other districts and in particular from bordering Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which may be the main reason for the rise in cases.

Nearly 5,000 Covid tests are being conducted here daily while several other districts are doing around 1000 tests. The number of positive cases for the past five months was around 0.6 per cent only.

Regarding the Covid vaccination, he said that the district has completed about 70 per cent of its target in the first and second phase. More than 2,500 persons were vaccinated on March 1, when the third phase of vaccination began. He added that presently 41 vaccination centres are there in the district where the process of vaccination for healthcare and frontline workers, senior citizens above 60 years of age, and those having comorbidities in the age group of 45-59 can get vaccinated.

The number of centres will soon go up to 169 for the convenience of the people. Eligible beneficiaries can register their details in the CoWIN 2.0 portal and book their slots for taking the shots.