The daily Covid-19 count in Telangana dropped below 2,000 on Saturday while the recovery rate crossed 85 percent.
The state reported 1,718 new cases, taking the tally to 1,97,327. This is the first time in several weeks that the cases have dropped below 2,000 on weekdays.
Every weekend the state reports less than 2,000 cases due to fewer tests.
More recoveries were recorded than the new positive cases during the last 24 hours. As many as 2,002 recovered from the infection, taking the total number of recoveries so far to 1,67,846.
The state’s recovery rate improved to 85.05 percent against the national average of 83.8 percent.
Eight more succumbed to the virus during the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 1,153. The fatality rate stands at 0.58 percent against the national average of 1.6 percent.
Officials said the percentage of death due to Covid-19 was 44.96 while the remaining 55.04 had co-morbidities.
The state now has 28,328 active cases including 23,224, who are in-home/institutional isolation.
Of the fresh cases, 285 were recorded in Greater Hyderabad. For the sixth day in a week, the daily count dropped to below 300 in the state capital.
Rangareddy district recorded the second-highest number of cases at 129 followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (115), Karimnagar (105), Nalgonda (103), Khammam (79), Siddipet (76), and Suryapet (60).
During the last 24 hours, 49,084 tests were conducted. With this, the cumulative numbers have gone up to 31,53,626.
Seventeen government-run laboratories, 44 private laboratories, and 1,076 Rapid Antigen test centers are conducting the tests.
According to a media bulletin from the office of the director of public health and family welfare, out of 49,084 samples tested during the last 24 hours, 21,597 were primary and 5,890 were secondary.
Samples tested per million population ratio improved further to 84,729. The daily testing target for the state is 5,600 per day as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) benchmark of 140 per million per day.
Out of 1,97,327 total positive cases so far, 70 percent (1,38,129) were asymptomatic while the remaining 30 percent (59,198) were symptomatic.
The data also shows that 64.13 percent of those tested positive are in the age group of 21-50 years while 22.76 are above 51 years of age. Those below 20 years are 13.13 percent.
Officials said 64.28 percent of those tested positive were male while the remaining 38.72 percent were female.
Officials said only 25 percent of the beds in government-run COVID hospitals are occupied. A total of 62 government hospitals have 8,868 beds, of which 6,703 are vacant.
A total of 231 private hospitals treating COVID patients have 9,267 beds, of which 6,328 are vacant.