Covid cases cross 1k in Hyd, caution advised

Hospitals told not to admit patients with mild infection

The Covid-19 surge in Telangana on Thursday saw Hyderabad’s daily tally shoot past the 1,000mark with state health department reporting that the city, along with the rest of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area saw 1,214 fresh cases for the day.

Neighbouring districts, Ranga Reddy and MedchalMalkajgiri reported 213 and 161 cases. Two more persons died from the disease in the state on Thursday taking the fatalities from

Covid-19 to 4,036. On Wednesday, the GHMC reported 979 cases, Ranga Reddy had 174 cases, while MedchalMalkajgiri had 132 cases. The case tally was 1,520 for the entire state on Wednesday. Twenty one other districts also reported an increase in cases over Wednesday.

As per the decision announced earlier in the day by the health department, no data on fresh Omicron cases in Telangana was released by it. “We are seeing a fourfold increase in cases over the past week and we expect the cases to rise. We urge people to follow safety precautions to prevent catching Covid, or spreading it to others,” director of public health and family welfare Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said.

He also called on private hospitals not to admit Covid-19 patients who might be going to them out of anxiety. “When the surge is at its peak and even if one per cent of those infected need hospital care, filling up of beds with those who do not, will result in serious burden on services. We also urge doctors and private hospitals to follow the ICMR protocol with respect to treatment and not prescribe expensive drugs to Covid patients as we have seen that they really do not do much to control the