Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh): A fresh rise in COVID-19 infections in Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Kadapa district has prompted health authorities to intensify surveillance and containment measures after eight active cases were reported and two patients died in recent weeks.
The latest fatalities include a 52-year-old man from Rajampet, who developed fever and cough before testing positive for COVID-19. He later died while undergoing treatment at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. In another case, a 43-year-old man from Kadapa, who had been admitted to the Government General Hospital with health complications, tested positive for the virus and subsequently died in the hospital’s COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit.
Health officials have also confirmed that a 25-year-old medical student from Kadapa Medical College has contracted the virus and is currently recovering under home isolation.
Following the fresh infections, the Health Department has deployed special rapid response teams across the district to strengthen surveillance. Around 40 samples were collected from affected localities, with 18 testing negative so far, while the remaining results are awaited. Samples from confirmed cases have also been sent to a laboratory in Pune for genome sequencing to identify the virus variant and assess its transmission pattern.
District health authorities informed a recent Zilla Parishad meeting that Kadapa currently has eight active COVID-19 cases. In response, Andhra Pradesh District In-Charge Minister Savitha directed officials to implement preventive measures without delay during a review with District Collector CH Sridhar and District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Ravi Babu.
The minister instructed authorities to strictly enforce COVID-19 guidelines in affected areas, intensify public awareness campaigns, and make mask-wearing mandatory in crowded places, including hospitals and other public spaces. Officials have also been directed to identify people showing symptoms such as fever, cough, and breathing difficulties, ensure timely testing, and shift infected patients to isolation facilities wherever necessary.
Sanitation and disinfection drives have been intensified in affected localities, while health teams have been instructed to immediately test family members and close contacts of infected individuals. Those who test positive will be shifted to isolation wards, while others will remain under home isolation with regular monitoring.
In view of the situation in Kadapa, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department has issued a statewide COVID-19 preparedness alert. District administrations have been asked to strengthen surveillance, testing, reporting systems, and infection-control measures, while hospitals have been instructed to keep isolation facilities, beds, and medical support ready.
Health authorities have urged the public not to panic but to remain cautious by maintaining personal hygiene, wearing masks in crowded places, and seeking immediate medical attention if COVID-19-like symptoms develop.
