2 Covid deaths in Andhra, 8 cases reported: Could it lead to a fresh outbreak?

Two Covid-19 fatalities in Andhra Pradesh have put the state's health department on alert. Eight others have tested positive for the virus, adding to the worry. Those who tested positive are being monitored by health department officials.

The two Covid-related deaths are the first in Andhra since 2002. However, according to health officials, the reported cases are sporadic and should not be considered a fresh outbreak.

Meanwhile, Odisha has also ramped up surveillance and testing as a precaution following reports of two deaths in neighbouring Andhra.

We take a look.

How did two deaths occur?

The first victim was a 60-year-old man. Initially, he was admitted to Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences in Tirupati and later shifted to Christian Medical College in Vellore, in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

More from Health

Coronavirus News Updates: COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh cross 8.81 lakh; vaccine distribution dry run in Krishna district tomorrow

The patient had extensive medical conditions, including diabetes and kidney disease, and during the treatment, he died on June 28. He was diagnosed with Covid-19, which was confirmed in a postmortem RT-PCR test.

The second person who died was a 46-year-old man. He was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Kadapa, a city in Andhra Pradesh. The patient had acute breathing problems and a constant cough and died due to deteriorating lung damage and pneumonia.

A chest CT scan revealed extensive lung damage consistent with Covid-19.

Is this a cause of concern?

Several medical practitioners are concerned that this sudden surge in cases may have been caused by a more virulent Omicron subvariant.

A doctor associated with the District Medical Office in Kadapa told Indian Express, "Because there was rapid development of respiratory distress among patients, it is suspected that the current spike could be caused by an aggressive Omicron subvariant."

The state's health department has stepped up contact tracing and testing measures. File image/Reuters

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is known to be highly contagious and to spread rapidly, even in the lungs. Initially, health officials were worried by the spread of the Omicron variant.

Compared with earlier variants, Omicron infections have generally caused less severe disease, mainly because of higher levels of population immunity.

A government doctor noted, "The concern is that the variant could quickly spread through the population and put stress on the healthcare mechanism."

But, according to the state's Health Secretary S Suresh Kumar, Andhra is not expecting this. He said, “In the past six days, no new cases have been reported. So we believe that this was just a sporadic incident”.

Kumar added that a committee comprising five specialists has also ruled out the possibility of a new subvariant.

What precautionary measures have been taken?

In the wake of two fatalities and a cluster of cases, the state's health department has stepped up contact tracing and testing measures.

Calling the situation "not an outbreak", Kumar told Express: "Five cases were identified in Kadapa and the rest three were their contacts. We are monitoring the situation closely, and there is no need to panic as this is a sporadic case."

Further adding that surveillance and contact tracing efforts are already underway.

In a statement, Tamil Nadu officers, where the first Andhra patient died, said: "No evidence of a high-severity strain circulating in the state and that case numbers remain lower than in previous years”.

According to top officials, adequate precautionary measures are being taken as the state deals with fresh infections.

With inputs from agencies