Andhra Covid-19 cases tally goes up to 49

Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.Andhra Pradesh has recorded 10 more COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases in the state up to 49 , the state health department announced on Saturday, July 25. The health department said that 302 people have been tested so far.East Godavari district has the highest number of cases – 11. Nine cases were recorded in Guntur, eight in Kadapa, five in Visakhapatnam, and three in NTR district. Two cases each were reported in Kakinada, Eluru, and Bapatla districts, while single cases were recorded in a few other districts.Twenty-four people are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals. Sixteen are under medical supervision at home. Five have recovered and been discharged. Four patients have died so far, and they had all been suffering from comorbidities before contracting COVID-19. The health department said that the COVID-19 cases that are currently being reported are not clustered in one area, but are coming to light separately in different districts.It said the department has strengthened disease surveillance across the state, with district Rapid Response Teams monitoring the health condition of those who tested positive and identifying their close contacts. Genomic sequencing of four coronavirus samples from Andhra Pradesh sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune showed that the virus was the Omicron RF.5 variant, one of several Omicron sublineages identified globally.However, there is no reason to panic, and taking precautions will suffice, Director of Medical Education Dr A Vishnuvardhan has said. The health department said that the World Health Organization is monitoring the variant as part of routine genomic surveillance, and based on the scientific evidence currently available, there is no indication that RF.5 is more dangerous than other Omicron variants.The Omicron variant has generally been associated with less severe illness than earlier coronavirus variants and usually causes flu-like symptoms. However, hospitalisations and deaths have also been reported among infected persons.