Kurnool: Buggana Rajendranath Reddy says State is far ahead of others

Kurnool: Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said Andhra Pradesh was far ahead than other states in the country in tackling coronavirus owing to measures taken by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. He lauded the efforts of doctors and medical staff for attending on the patients and contributing to their early recovery. "With the increase in testing capacity, more positive cases are found out. But interesting aspect is despite more cases, mortality rate is only 1.4 per cent," he observed.

The minister, accompanied by district collector G Veera Pandiyan and MLAs of Kurnool and Panyam, Hafeez Khan and Rambhupal Reddy, held a meeting with the doctors at the Medical College lecture hall here on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that though more number of positive cases were being reported but 85 per cent were asymptomatic, which reflect the aggressive testing in the state. Earlier the medical personnel used to waver to come forward due to fear of virus but now they were coming to work and extending quality services to patients, he added.

Lamenting over the stigma being attached to infected people, the finance minister called for more steps to educate people in this regard.

He directed the officials concerned to ensure adequate stocks of medicine, oxygen and beds in the backdrop of media reports over Covid hospitals facing severe crunch of these supplies.

District collector Veera Pandiyan said Kurnool stands in second position in the districts in the state with 1.81 lakh tests so far. "In a single month, one lakh tests were conducted in July. The testing capacity has drastically increased; we are planning to conduct 10,000 tests in a day," he said.

According to him, so far 11,570 positive cases were reported in the district out of which 6,035 patients were discharged and 162 died. Following Covid-19 protocol all necessary steps are being implemented at all 403 containment clusters across the district. Random tests are being conducted after collecting blood samples at fever clinics and CHC/PHC centres. In addition to 108 and 104 ambulances allotted to every mandal, three more vehicles are also provided. Till date 10 complaints have been received and all are addressed, the collector said.

MLAs Hafeez Khan and Rambhupal Reddy also spoke on the occasion. SP Dr Fakkeerappa Kaginelli, joint collector Patanshetty Ravi Subash, Kurnool

Municipal Corporation commissioner D K Balaji, DFO Alan Chang Terran and others

were present.