Three more COVID-19 patients, who were being treated at GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR), were discharged on Friday night, after their reports tested negative. With the latest discharge, the total number of active cases in the district have reduced to seven. As per sources in the Health Department, three more patients, two from Thatchetlapalem and one from Gajuwaka, were also reportedly released after they tested negative on Saturday. But it would be confirmed only through the health bulletin on Sunday morning.
According to officials, the three persons, including a woman, are residents of Thatichetlapalem area of the city. One of the patients had a travel history to Mumbai in the recent times. A couple of days after his return to Visakhapatnam, the youth showed symptoms and was admitted to Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD). The youth and two others had tested COVID-19 positive on April 3. Later they were shifted to GIMSR.
Officials from the Health Department said that one more person who belongs to Poorna Market area is also ready for discharge very soon.
GHCCD isolation
It may be recalled that the district had reported 20 positive cases till date. During the first week of May, one positive case from Allipuram area was discharged. On April 8, three more cases, (two from Padmanabham and one from Allipuram), were discharged from GIMSR. On March 13, two persons were discharged from GIMSR after their tests resulted negative. On March 14, four persons from Muslim Thatichetlapalem have been discharged. The last positive case from the district was recorded on April 6. As on April 18, nine persons who were under isolation at GHCCD have been discharged after their reports tested negative. Officials said that there are nine more persons in the isolation ward. “Teams, including ward volunteers, ASHA workers and health department officials, have been conducting surveys in all containment zones and other areas. Persons showing symptoms like fever, cough, cold are being shifted to GHCCD. Meanwhile random tests are also conducted,” said an official from the Health Department.
Similarly, COVID-19 positive cases which belong to East Godavari district are being treated at Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), which is one of the four COVID-19 State hospitals. While one case belongs to Tuni, the other case is from Rajamahendravaram. “Persons with over 60 years of age or with respiratory disorders are being treated at VIMS,” said VIMS Director V. Satya Vara Prasad.