Bringing down death rate top priority in Nanded: Collector

Even as COVID-19 cases in Nanded crossed the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, district collector Vipin Itankar said the priority as of now was to bring down the mortality rate. Speaking about the rise in cases, the collector said the administration's priority was to bring down the death rate. "We have ramped up testing and have been collecting 200 to 400 samples per day.

Even as COVID-19 cases in Nanded crossed the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, district collector Vipin Itankar said the priority as of now was to bring down the mortality rate. At least 56 persons tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the tally to 1,074 in the district, a district official said.

While 574 patients have recovered from the infection, 48 have succumbed to it so far, he said. Speaking about the rise in cases, the collector said the administration's priority was to bring down the death rate.

"We have ramped up testing and have been collecting 200 to 400 samples per day. We have also chalked out a plan to use antigen testing kits to ensure early detection of infections," he said. Although this may increase the number of COVID-19 cases, the administration will be able to control the viral spread, Dr Itankar said.

"We have a dedicated sample-collecting ambulance, which will go around every locality. We will test senior citizens using antigen testing kits," he added..