Telangana on Sunday reported 173 new cases of COVID-19 as only 35,160 tests were conducted. The last time around 170 cases were reported was in March this year when the second wave of the pandemic was taking root. Even at that time, around 32,000-40,000 samples were being tested in a day.
Testing on Sunday was unusually low for this month, with around 70,000 samples being tested a day. From Thursday, the number of tests had dropped to around 52,000-60,000. The reduced number of tests coincided with the launch of the health department’s special COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
The new 173 infections include 64 from Greater Hyderabad region, 18 from Warangal Urban and 17 from Karimnagar. Zero cases were reported in eight districts including Wanaparthy, Nirmal and Narayanpet.
The death toll rose by one to 3,904 on Sunday. The state’s infection tally is 6,63,454. Of these, 5,005 were active cases.
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