Fourteen patients, ten in Prakasam and four in Nellore, died of coronavirus in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,617 in on Monday.
SPSR Nellore district accounted for 818 deaths so far and Prakasam district for 799, according to a health bulletin released by the State government on Monday night.
A retired headmaster from Kota in SPSR Nellore district, who was administered the herbal eye drops by Ayurvedic practitioner B. Anandaiah from Krishnapatnam as part of treatment for COVID-19, was among those who lost their battle against the virus.
The headmaster, Kotaiah, had in a video claimed relief after taking the herbal concoction. However, he was later admitted to the Government General Hospital in Nellore as his health condition deteriorated. Over 150 persons who took the herbal preparation of Mr. Anandaiah were recuperating in designated COVID hospitals in SPSR Nellore district, according to sources in the GGH.
Meanwhile, the number of fresh cases came down by half to compared to the previous day as 378 persons in SPSR Nellore district and 345 in Prakasam tested positive for the disease. The districts had recorded 1,490 new cases the previous day.
The overall coronavirus case tally crossed the 2.25 lakh-mark while at least 2,232 patients recovered in the region. The recovery rate improved to 84.92%. The number of active cases stood at 12,994 in SPSR Nellore district and 19,392 in Prakasam district from the peak of 40,000-plus cases in the last fortnight.
