Kakinada: East Godavari district has emerged as the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in the state with the number of daily infections on the rise. The most populous district of the state had managed to keep infections in check till June and was not part of the group of districts classified as red zones by the Union government in May.
In July, however, cases surged and as of Tuesday, the district has 7,968 Covid-19 cases, the highest in the state. In recent weeks, the surge has led to the administration imposing a complete lockdown every Sunday, starting July 19, and permitting commercial establishments and other activities from 6 am to 11 am in the district.
Several factors are being attributed to the severity of outbreak, such as non-adherence to precautions, crowds at markets, resumption of public transit systems and commercial activities and long queues in front of liquor outlets.
The first Covid-19 cases in the district was detected on March 21 after a London-returned youth from Rajahmundry was diagnosed with the disease. In subsequent weeks, some cases surfaced that were traced to the New Delhi gathering. A government school teacher tested positive on April 9 in Kathipudi, transmitting the virus to another five family members and neighbours.
On May 20, a 53-year-old man from Gollala Mamidada village succumbed to the virus within half-an-hour of admission to a hospital. The deceased is believed to have transmitted to the disease about 200 people in Pedapudi and neighbouring mandals. More than 100 cases were detected in Chelluru, a small farming village in Rayavaram mandal in the weeks that followed. The disease, which initially was concentrated to a few spots in the district, gradually spread.
District collector Muralidhar Reddy said, “The next two weeks are going to be critical. People should not panic, but should be aware and follow Covid-19 guidelines. As per projections, the peak surge was expected around August 25. But East Godavari has been witnessing an early surge. The increased testing has led to detection of more cases. The district is now conducting about 5,000 to 6,000 Covid-19 tests against the usual 1,500 to 2,000 samples a day. The private hospitals have also started offering Covid-19 treatment.”