44 new coronavirus cases in AP, tally climbs to 647

A possible community

transmission of the dreaded coronavirus in Vijayawada city has triggered a major scare even as the number of positive cases in Andhra Pradesh climbed further up on Sunday to 647 in the last 24 hours and the toll to 17.

In all, 44 new cases were added to the tally in the last 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday, as the state government said a record 5,508 tests were carried out during the period.

With a total of 65 discharged and 17 deceased, the number of active coronavirus cases in the state stood at 565.

According to the state Covid-19 Dashboard, an aggregate of 26,958 tests were carried out till date, of which 26,311 turned negative.

Of the 75 coronavirus positive cases reported in Krishna district, Vijayawada alone had 60.

The entire city has been classified as red zone or containment zones with controlled movement of vehicles.

Authorities have identified a few major hotspots like Kummaripalem and Karmika Nagar where more than 10 cases each were ...