The COVID-19 positivity rate in the district is currently hovering around 1%. It has not yet dropped below zero, as it did after the first wave, and daily cases are still swinging between 30 and 60 cases. But experts say that the possibility of a third is decreasing, but it cannot be ruled out.
According to experts, with the festive season, the district is now entering the most critical phase. “It is festival period and we have festivals of mass gathering like Dussehra, Deepawali and Christmas. The landscape tops out with the wedding season and the onset of winter. If we can pull down the positivity rate or at least maintain the current level, we can say that the impending third wave is averted. So we cannot rule out the possibility of a third wave till the festive season is over,” said PV Sudhakar, district COVID special officer and principal of Andhra Medical College.
District Collector A. Mallikarjuna had a similar opinion. “We cannot rule out the occurrence of third wave, but four aspects like vaccination, awareness, preparedness and herd immunity can be a negative factor. We have already vaccinated around 41 lakh people in the district, of which 13 lakh people who have taken both doses We aim to complete the vaccination of all eligible people above 18 years of age before December.
“Vaccination is going on in full swing. On Thursday, we were able to deliver over 1.3 lakh jobs and on Friday we will cross the one lakh mark with the help of special drives. For Visakha Agency areas, we have already deployed three ‘Tika Express’ special vans to complete the vaccination process,” Dr Mallikarjuna said.
To boost the testing facility, two RT-PCR laboratories have been set up at Anakapalle and Narsipatnam. “The laboratories are ready and both will give results as per the gold standards. We are waiting for NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) approval to make them operational,” said the district collector.
Each laboratory can conduct at least 1,000 tests per day and apart from this the district has DRDL at KGH, which can conduct more than 5,000 tests per day. The district has about five private laboratories with RT-PCR facilities besides TrueNat and Rapid Antigen Test Kits.
Coming to the strengthening of beds and oxygen supply, Dr Mallikarjuna said that all 7,500 beds in 74 hospitals, including the private sector, have been oxygenated and the district administration has procured 3,000 D-type oxygen cylinders and 2,200 oxygen concentrators. “In addition, we now have 20 oxygen production plants and 200 special beds for children, some of which are equipped with pediatric ventilators,” he said.
Keeping in view the possible third wave and the festive season, the district administration will implement ‘No Mask-No Entry’ at RK Beach.
The order will be passed in a day or two and people will not be allowed to go to RK Beach or any beach without masks.
“We are already imposing a fine of ₹100 on individual establishments and ₹1,000 on establishments if people are seen without masks in any public place and it will be strictly followed,” the district collector said.
43 new cases
The district reported 43 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours ended Friday morning, taking the cumulative tally to 1,57,458. No COVID-19 death has been reported in the last 24 hours, so the death toll stands at 1,090. Forty persons were cured of the virus. The number of cured people has increased to 1,55,529 and active cases to 839.
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