: Ten more people tested positive for coronavirus in Telangana on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 59, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said.
"As far as this coronavirus is concerned, 10 positive cases were reported in a single day on Friday. The total number of positive patients is 59. Out of this, one person has been discharged after treatment and the others are under treatment," Rao said at a press conference.
Besides, over 20,000 people are currently in home quarantine or in Government faculties under surveillance, he said, adding all these people were being looked after well.
Rao said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and he assured all possible help to Telangana.
"Had we not taken measures such as lockdown, night curfew and maintaining social distance, the situation would have been much more dangerous, Rao said.
He said the lockdown in the state, which was in force since March 22 and was to end on March 31, would be extended to April 15.
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The Chief Minister said maintaining social distance was the only medicine to tackle the killer virus and asked people to be more disciplined.
Quoting reports, he said 20 crore people in India would be affected by coronavirus if it started spreading like it did in Italy, Spain or the USA.
On the states preparedness, Rao said 1400 Intensive Care Unit beds were being readied at Gachchbowli Stadium here,to be used if required.
Isolation wards to accommodate 11,000 patients were also underway, he said.
The state has already placed orders for 500 new ventilators. Some of them have reached us and some are on the way...Even if 60,000 people (all categories) get affected, we will be ready (to treat) he said.
A list of a pool of retired doctors, about 11,000 medicos and lab technicians was being prepared so that their services could be utilised,if necessary,he said.
Replying to a query, he said the Government would use private laboratories services for COVID-19 tests only after the states resources and facilities at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here were exhausted.
Assuring that PG accommodations and hostels would not be allowed to close, he said people from other states stranded in Telangana would be taken care of and provided all necessities.
Rao said he had ordered all District Collectors to provide migrant labourers food, shelter and water in their respective districts.
The Chief Minister said crops are ready for harvesting in 50 lakh acres in the state and the government would provide water from various irrigation projects to those fields.
He assured farmers that the government would buy paddy through purchasing centres at their respective places.
Health Minister E Rajendar said 10,000 beds, including in private medical colleges, are now available with the government.
He said private medical colleges have been instructed to suspend out-patient wings in their attached hospitals and to allocate the same for COVID-19 patients .