The Andhra Pradesh state health department has issued a high alert across local medical networks after recording its first virus-related fatalities since 2022. Health officials confirmed that two patients succumbed to severe respiratory complications in Kadapa district, while eight active cases are currently being monitored under strict surveillance protocols.
According to official medical reports, the first fatality involved a 60-year-old patient who originally sought treatment at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati before being transferred to Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The patient, who suffered from extensive health complications including diabetes and kidney disease, passed away during specialised treatment. A subsequent RT-PCR test conducted post-mortem confirmed a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
The second casualty occurred at the Government General Hospital–RIMS in Kadapa, where a 46-year-old man from the Masapeta area succumbed to severe bilateral lung damage and pneumonia. He was initially admitted with acute breathlessness and a persistent cough. When his symptoms failed to subside after four days of intensive high-dose antibiotic treatments, doctors ordered a chest CT scan, which ultimately revealed advanced viral lung damage consistent with the coronavirus.
In response to the sudden cluster, the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) initiated rapid containment protocols. Emergency teams have thoroughly sanitised the affected residential areas and launched extensive contact-tracing operations to isolate both primary and secondary contacts. Out of the active infections identified in the district, most individuals exhibiting mild symptoms have been advised to maintain strict home isolation, while others are being monitored in specialised hospital wards.
Given the rapid development of severe respiratory distress in the patients, medical experts suspect the localised spike may be driven by an aggressive Omicron subvariant. Patient samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for comprehensive genome sequencing to identify the precise strain. While state leaders have urged the public to remain vigilant, senior health administrators have emphasised that these are sporadic, isolated cases with extreme medical histories, advising citizens to avoid unnecessary panic as surveillance expands.
