Telangana on Sunday reported 1,473 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths, taking the total tally of coronavirus positive cases in the state to 55,532 and total deaths to 471. Of the total, 12,955 persons are presently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in the state, and are considered active cases.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits recorded 506 positive cases on Sunday – the highest in the state – followed by Rangareddy district with 168 new cases and Warangal Urban with 111 cases.
Telangana also recorded 774 COVID-19 recoveries on Sunday, the state government’s bulletin said, taking the total number of persons who have recovered from the disease to 42,106.
In the 24-hour period until Sunday evening, the state tested 9,817 samples. A total of 3,63,242 samples have been tested for coronavirus so far by Telangana. The bulletin said that the tests per million population were 245 while the cumulative sample positivity rate was 15%.
The bulletin added the government has made elaborate arrangements for treating COVID-19 patients and that sufficient beds have been available in government hospitals. It added that people can contact 9154170960 on WhatsApp for any grievances pertaining to private hospitals or laboratories.
On Sunday, the Telangana government also announced that the price cap for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals will not be applicable to those who have health insurance. Earlier, the state government had removed certain drugs used for COVID-19 treatment from the price cap.
The Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender later in the day speaking to the media claimed that only 19% of the COVID-19 patients in the state require hospital treatment and doctor’s attention. The minister opined that the remaining 81% do not show severe symptoms and thus did not require hospital care.