Don’t Treat COVID-19 Patients As Untouchables: AP CM YS Jagan

AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said that Andhra Pradesh is ranked first in the country in conducting the highest number of COVID-19 tests, by clocking 1396 tests per every 10 lakh population. Addressing the media here on the host of preventive measures of the state government to combat Coronavirus pandemic, YS Jagan said that the state government has so far tested 74,551 samples out of which 1,177 tested positive for COVID-19.  He thanked people of the state for extending their cooperation by their adherence to lockdown norms.

The AP CM said that 63 mandals of the state have been declared as Red zones. Once the number of cases exceeds four, then the mandal is categorized as a red zone, he said. About 54 other mandals have been identified as orange zones where the number of cases ranges between one and four. All the remaining 559 mandals in the 13 districts of the state are deemed to be green zones as not a single COVID-19 case has been reported in these mandals till now.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has set up nine Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) laboratories besides 44 other laboratories.

The state government has set up four COVID-19 critical care hospitals and district hospitals to treat patients with suspected coronavirus symptoms. In this context, YS Jagan made a passionate appeal to the masses, urging them not to treat the COVID-19 patients as untouchables. He said COVID-19 is curable if all the guidelines and precautions as part of the treatment are strictly followed.

At the same time, YS Jagan advocated abundant caution and alertness, asking people to be extremely careful and sensitive to the spread of the virus. He said that 80 per cent of the coronavirus infected persons remain asymptomatic.  He once again said that social distancing is the only way -- coupled with the ‘stay at home’ approach -- with which the state can break the spread of the killer virus.

The Chief Minister said that 81 per cent of the COVID-19 patients got themselves cured of the disease by staying confined to their homes and taking immunity-boosting diet. Only 14 percent of the people needed to be hospitalised for treatment.

As per the survey conducted in Red Zones and Orange zones, only 1.61 of the samples tested turned out to be COVID-19 positive, Chief Minister said. He urged people to strictly follow social distancing and wear masks. YS jagan said that the state government is distributing three free face masks to every individual.

Speaking about the facilities at the quarantine centres and hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, YS Jagan said that the state government has arranged 40,000 beds in all the hospitals across the state out of which 25,000 are single isolation beds. Masks and protection kits were made available at every hospital, said the Chief Minister.

The state government has also recruited additional doctors, nurses and other medical staff to reinforce the strength in the COVID-19 hospitals, the AP CM said, adding that the state government has established a toll free number 14410 for the patients, who can directly call if they need any medical consultancy or assistance.

YS Jagan asserted that the state would never compromise in providing the essential commodities to the people despite severe financial crunch. He said that his government has provided Rs 1,000 to each family besides putting in place arrangements for the distribution of ration three times a month. Besides, old-age pension has been provided to 56 lakh beneficiaries across the state, said YS Jagan.

Also Read: Worst Affected COVID-19 Mandals In AP: District-Wise Details