T’gana reports 1,504 new Covid cases; people warned of pandemic’s second wave

Hyderabad, Oct 29 (IANS): Telangana has reported 1,504 fresh Covid-19 cases, as the health department cautioned people against the second wave of the pandemic.

The state’s Covid tally on Thursday mounted to 2,35,656 while five more deaths during the last 24 hours have pushed the toll to 1,324, health officials said.

The fatality rate remains unchanged at 0.56 per cent against the national average of 1.5 per cent. According to officials 44.96 per cent of the deaths were due to Covid while 55.04 per cent of deaths were due to comorbidities.

During the past 24 hours that ended at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 1,436 people have recovered from the virus, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,16,353.

The recovery rate jumped to 91.80 per cent against the national average of 90.9 per cent.

The state now has 17,979 active cases, of which 14,938 are in home or institutional isolation.

After a drop for last few days, the number of cases surged again in Greater Hyderabad and other districts. Greater Hyderabad reported 288 cases. Its neighbouring districts Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy saw 118 and 115 new cases respectively. Nalgonda witnessed 93 new infections, followed by Khammam (84), Bhadradri Kothagudem (83) and Siddipet (73).

According to a media bulletin by the office of the Director of Public Health, 41,962 samples were tested during the last 24 hours. With this the number of tests conducted so far rose to 41,96,958. Samples tested per million population also climbed to 1,12,760.

Meanwhile, officials have warned the people against second wave of Covid-19 in the state. The health department said there could be a resurgence of the virus, if people ignore basic safety guidelines.

The officials asked people not to be under the impression that Covid-19 has disappeared. They said if people are not cautious the state could be hit by second wave.

The health officials believe that the next two to three months will be crucial for Telangana and the people must not lower their guard.

Director of Public Health G.Srinivasa Rao urged people to continue to follow safety guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, avoiding mass gatherings and sanitising of hands.

The officials said people should learn from the experiences of the United States and the European Union, which were hit by a second wave after people ignored safety guidelines.

The state health department in coordination with other departments is working to spread awareness on extensive use of masks and following other safety guidelines.

The officials advised people with symptoms of influenza and viral fevers to get themselves tested for Covid-19.