Telangana Coronavirus cases rise to 50,826 – 447 dead and 39,327 cured till July 23

• There are 11,052 active cases of Coronavirus in Telangana and 39,327 people have been cured so far.
• So far, the state has reported 447 deaths due to Coronavirus.
• On July 23, the state reported 1,567 new cases and 9 new deaths.

Telangana reported 1,567 new cases of Coronavirus in the state on July 23, taking the total confirmed cases in the state to 50,826. Out of the 1,567 new cases, 662 cases were reported in the state's capital Hyderabad.

The death toll in the state increased to 447 after the state recorded 9 new deaths on July 23. In some good news, the state government in its health bulletin has revealed that 1,661 people have been discharged on July 23, taking the total number of cured people to 39,327 at a recovery rate of 77.3%.

"But people should not entertain any fear or anxiety. The government is ready to provide treatment to any number of cases in the state. The required PPE kits, test kits, masks, beds, ventilators, hospitals are all ready," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office quoted him as saying at a high-level meeting called by him to review Covid-19 situation.


COVID-19 victim's body carried in autorickshaw

In a shocking incident highlighting the utter negligence of health officials in Telangana's Nizamabad town, body of a COVID-19 victim was carried in an autorickshaw.

The visuals of the body being carried in the three-wheeler in total violation of the guidelines for transporting the bodies of COVID-19 victims, went viral on social media on Saturday.

The body was seen protruding from both sides of the vehicle as it was kept at the bottom of the rear seat.

Neither the autorickshaw driver, said to be a relative of the deceased nor the local municipal employee sitting with him was wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits.

Hyderabad MP urges people to undergo COVID-19 test

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday underwent a COVID-19 test to create public awareness in his constituency about the need to undergo the test.

He visited the Government Nizamia General Hospital near the historic Charminar to give his samples for testing.

"Got my antigen & RT PCR tests done for COVID-19 today. My antigen test results were negative, Alhamdulilah. There are 30 odd centres in the South of Hyderabad where antigen testing is being conducted, I encourage all of you to not hesitate & get tested," he later tweeted.

Charminar, Golconda Fort shut after brief re-opening

The Charminar and the Golconda Fort, two of Hyderabad's most famous monuments, were re-opened for visitors on Monday, only to be shut again as authorities took a U-turn.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is responsible for the upkeep of the centrally protected monuments, went back on its decision after the Telangana government opposed their re-opening as both were located close to areas witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases.

Few people had booked their tickets online and were allowed entry but sale of tickets was stopped after local authorities expressed the apprehension that re-opening of the monuments could lead to violation of social distancing and other Covid-19 norms.

2 Hyderabad jewellers' corona deaths create panic among party guests

The death of two city jewellers due to coronavirus within five days has led to panic among around 150 people from various walks of life who attended a birthday party thrown by one of them in Hyderabad a few days.

A 63-year-old diamond jeweller who had organised the party for his relatives and friends two weeks ago succumbed on Friday. One of his guests, another city jeweller, had died earlier.

A leading politician from the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and 11 others who attended the party have since tested positive and are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.As many as 150 people had attended the birthday bash hosted by the jeweller who owns a shop in Himayatnagar area. Many leading jewellers, politicians and prominent people from various walks of life were among the attendees.

As new lockdown looms over Hyderabad, migrants head for Andhra

With another lockdown looming over Hyderabad, hundreds of people were heading to their native places in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Fearing that they may be stuck in the city if the lockdown was re-imposed, workers and businessmen were returning to be with their near and dear ones.

Using whatever mode of transport available to them, the migrants were leaving Hyderabad, which is witnessing a big spike in Covid-19 cases.

Majority of those returning home were daily wagers, construction labourers, domestic help and traders. Most of them had returned to Hyderabad after easing of lockdown in May.

Biggest single-day jump takes Telangana Covid tally to 18,570

In the biggest surge since the outbreak of Covid-19, Telangana on Thursday registered 1,213 cases, taking the tally to 18,570 cases. With this, Telangana overtook Rajasthan and climbed to the seventh spot in the list of states with most cases.

Under fire from different quarters for low testing, the state authorities ramped up the testing. According to the director of public health and family welfare, 5,356 tests were conducted.

Covid fight in Telangana gets mired in political slugfest

The fight against Covid-19 in Telangana has become mired in a political slugfest between the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government and the opposition parties. With the daily jump in new infections almost touching 1,000 and the state touching a new high with each passing day, the criticism of the government's response to the crisis is also mounting.

Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by activists and the reprimands received by the government from the High Court has given ammunition to the opposition to attack the government, which claims to be handling the situation effectively and sees a conspiracy by "vested interests" to malign the government and state-run hospitals.

The Centre's assessment is that between June 10 and 23, Telangana had the highest positivity rate in India at 27.7 per cent (ratio of people testing positive to number of people tested) and the latest data that Telangana is doing lowest number of tests per 10 lakh population at just 2,356 has also come handy to the opposition.

HC asks Telangana govt to spell out stand on online classes

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to spell out its stand on the ongoing online classes by private schools and inform it by Friday if any policy on online classes had been framed or not.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Hyderabad School Students Parents Association, seeking directions to ban online classes.

The petitioner argued that conducting online classes before the beginning of an academic year is "illegal". The court was told that the government had not yet issued orders with regard to the beginning of the new academic year.

Telangana postpones all common entrance examinations

The Telangana government on Tuesday decided to postpone all the Common Entrance Examinations (CETs) for admission to various professional courses in the state, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The CETs, including the Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (TS EAMCET) 2020 were scheduled to begin from Wednesday.

The government conveyed its decision to the Telangana High Court during hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking direction to postpone the examinations.

Telangana pauses mass testing in hotspot Hyderabad

The health authorities in Telangana on June 25 decided to pause the ongoing mass testing for Covid-19 in Hyderabad and surrounding districts in view of the piling-up of samples in testing laboratories.

With 8,235 samples still pending in the labs for testing, the authorities said collection of more samples without testing the pending ones will create problems.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had announced on June 14 that 50,000 Covid-19 tests will be done in 30 Assembly constituencies in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. Till June 16, the health authorities collected 36,000 samples.

With inputs from IANS.

See also:
Coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh
Coronavirus cases in Gujarat
Coronavirus cases in Bihar
Coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh