Telangana sees 99 new cases as coronavirus claims four

HYDERABAD: Health authorities urged locals to take all possible precautions while going to markets and shops after 99 new coronavirus cases were recorded on Tuesday, taking the state tally to 2,891 cases. The virus claimed another four lives as the death toll rose to 92. With 70 of the new cases reported from Greater Hyderabad limits, health department officials said that wearing masks but not maintaining social distance defeated the purpose of prevention.

“A good number of people who had visited shops and markets are among those testing positive. The virus is spreading faster since majority of the patients are asymptomatic and continuing with their routine without taking much precautions,” said a senior state health department official. “This is apart from the people who had traveled back from other parts of the country,” he added.

With Hyderabad city remaining an area of concern for health authorities, stringent measures will be taken at shops and market places on social distancing . At the beginning of May, the GHMC area was seeing only five to ten cases on a daily basis but this has jumped several folds in just a month.

“It has jumped more so during the last fortnight since the movement of migrant workers and passengers arriving by special flights, trains and buses began. The highest number of cases within GHMC limits was detected three days back,” informed a senior health official.

Among the patients who succumbed to the virus on Tuesday were a 40-year-old man who had a cardiac ailment, a 41-year-old man with thyroid issues, a 70-year old woman and another 60-year-old woman with hypertension. Among the new cases were 12 migrant workers from Hyderabad and one each from Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar, Medchal, Jagtial, Nalgonda, Mancheriyal, Sangareddy and Siddipet districts.

As many as 1,526 patients in the state have recovered so far while 1,273 active cases are currently undergoing treatment.