A massive 161 cases were reported on Saturday, pointing to a COVID-19 situation that seems to be spiralling out of control in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time that the tally has entered 3-digit figure in Andhra Pradesh, and also the highest day tally reported since the pandemic broke out.
While fluctuations have been a common feature, this is the first instance of a 3-fold spike in cases within 24 hours. Incidentally, the Andhra Pradesh single-day count of COVID-19 cases had dipped to 50 on Friday.
With the latest update on Saturday, the overall tally of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh has risen to 3,588.
According to the medical bulletin issued by the state nodal officer, 12,771 samples were tested in the 24 hours ending 9 a.m. on Saturday. In comparison, 9,831 tests were conducted in the preceding testing cycle. Andhra Pradesh has tested 436,335 samples till date, lagging only behind Rajasthan with 480,910, Maharashtra with 524,002, and Tamil Nadu with 560,673 tests conducted so far.
On Saturday, 29 persons were discharged from hospitals, taking the cumulative tally of cured persons to 2,323 on Saturday.
Andhra Pradesh currently has 1,192 active cases that are being treated at various hospitals. With a recovery rate of 58.32 per cent, the state ranks sixth in the country. The national average for recovery stands at 48.2 per cent.
No deaths were reported during the last 24 hours and so the death toll remained static at 73.
Andhra Pradesh's mortality rate of 1.64 per cent ranked 10th among the states, according to figures issued by the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday.
Saturday also saw the cumulative tally of COVID-19 cases among returnees from other states rise to 741 from the Friday's figure of 700 cases.
The tally of active cases climbed to 467 from the 442 cases reported on Friday. On a positive note, 16 persons from this category were discharged on Saturday.
With 8 new cases detected among foreign returnees, their cumulative tally climbed to 131, even as the tally of active cases in this category climbed to 127 on Saturday.
