A fresh death and 18 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Telangana on Thursday, taking the total positive cases in the state to 471, Health Minister Eatala Rajender said.
With this, the death toll due to COVID-19 in the state rose to 12. The number of people discharged cumulatively was 45 and the active cases 414, Rajender told reporters in Hyderabad. Only one person was on ventilator support, he added.
A media bulletin on COVID-19 said till date there was no evidence of community transmission of the virus in Telangana. It said 101 hotspots have been identified in the state.
Rajender said that testing of samples of those who returned after participating in the Tablighi jamaat event in Delhi and their contacts had been completed.
The number of cases related to the Delhi congregation was 388, according to a release.
The minister said tests are being conducted for all those who had returned from foreign countries and their contacts.
He also said there was a possibility of about 60-70 people (related to the Tablighi event) being discharged on Friday and expressed hope that others too would be sent home after recovery by April 22.
He claimed that the number of cases was coming down as evident from the fact that during the last 24 hours, only 18 were found positive out of 665 samples tested.
"As it has been said from the beginning, Telangana would have been a corona-free state by now if these Markaz (Delhi religious congregation) cases were not there. It is the same in all the states," he said.
The number of cases has come down because of the lockdown, with 99 percent of people confining themselves to their homes, the Minister said.
Rajender also said that the state government would soon introduce tele-medicine for the benefit of people having any other health problems during the lockdown. The state government would also offer counseling by psychiatrists over telephone for those in need, he added.
State Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar visited Mallepally area in the city along with local MLA Jaffar Hussain Meraj, Director General of Police (DGP) Mahender Reddy and other officials as part of containment measures for coronavirus.
The government has identified 12 containment clusters in Hyderabad to combat the spread of COVID-19, according to an official release.
A door-to-door survey was taken up in many neighbourhoods to identify people with suspected symptoms. "People in these areas have been asked to remain indoors and wear masks. They should cooperate with the authorities in conducting necessary tests. Authorities will provide vegetables, milk and other essentials at their doorsteps," he said.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the health department to strictly enforce cluster containment plan in areas identified in Hyderabad. "Additional measures are being taken in these areas due to high density of population," Rajender added.
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