Hyderabad: For the first time in three months, fresh cases of COVID-19 in Telangana crossed the 300-mark on Thursday, with the health department reporting 313 positives and two deaths.
The last time over 300 cases were reported was on January 12, with 331 COVID-19 positives.
During the last 24 hours, two patients died of COVID-19 pushing the overall death toll to 1,664. Currently, there are 2,434 active cases in the state, the state health department bulletin said on Friday.
COVID-19 clusters in schools
In Telangana, clusters of cases have been reported in educational institutions from the past few days. While as many as 36 students of Telangana Minorities Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMWREIS) in Bandlaguda, tested positive for COVID-19, a total of 43 positives were found in Zilla Parishad Secondary School (Girls), Mancherial.
“Whether to continue accommodating them or what to do, in another two-three days, I will also give a statement in the Assembly if possible. We cannot let our children suffer. So, we have to follow some policy,” chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said in the assembly on Wednesday.
After a gap of ten months since the lockdown in the state, physical classes reopened in schools and colleges for the students of class 9 and above from February 1 and class 6,7,8 from February 24.
Telangana government is currently checking the COVID-19 situation and will analyze it before taking any decision regarding the reopening of schools.
HC, health department warn a second wave
“People who have to venture out of their homes for work, must ensure they wear masks and follow measures like maintaining hand hygiene. It is better to avoid mass gatherings at this point of time. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus depends a lot on the behavior of the general public towards it,” director of public health Dr G Srinivasa Rao said on Thursday.
Telangana high court on Thursday cautioned the state government about the second wave of the virus and directed it to take steps to contain the spread of the virus and strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines issued by the central government on March 1 this year.
The court directed the government to restrict the gathering at functions and at funerals to 100 and adhere to Indian council of medical research (ICMR) norms.
“In this context, it is everyone’s duty to wear a mask properly and do best to avoid mass gatherings. We have to acknowledge that in the last few months, there has been laxity in wearing masks and observing hand hygiene on the part of the general public. That’s why we are witnessing COVID clusters,” Superintendent at Gandhi Hospital Dr M Raja Rao, pointed out.
One year of COVID-19 in state
March 2 marked one year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, more than 94.82 lakh tests have been carried out in the state.
About 3,400,49 beneficiaries above 45-60 and 60 above have been vaccinated in Telangana. So far, 8,75,478 doses of vaccine have been administered across the state.