Hyderabad: Telangana health officials see signs of community spread of COVID-19 in the state. Public health director G Srinivas and medical education director Ramesh Reddy said at a joint media conference on Thursday that people should be more careful in the next four to five weeks. Tier-II cities have been registering increased number of cases, they said, elaborating on the impression of community transmission.

“We noticed transmission of the virus in communities,” Srinivas said. The officials said that the next few weeks would be crucial for the state in containing the spread of the virus.

So far, community transmission was not acknowledged. In Andhra Pradesh, Srikakulam district collector J Nivas spoke about community transmission last month, after coming across two strange cases with no travel history or contact with infected persons.

While calling upon the people to not panicked about seasonal fevers, Srinivas and Ramesh said that taking more precautions are essential. People should immediately go to the nearest hospital if they recognise Covid-19 symptoms. There is no need to rush to the state or district hospital as the tests and treatment are available in local primary health centres, they asserted.

Ramesh Reddy said that people need not go to private and corporate hospitals for treatment. “Treatment for Covid-19 is simple and accessible for all. It does not cost more than Rs 150 at early stages,” he elaborated, further adding that infected people would recover in ten days if they are treated in early stages.

The fatality rate is only 0.88 percent in the state, they said. Most of the deceased were either aged or had co-morbidities. According to Ramesh Reddy, over 1,000 healthcare workers and their family members had so far tested positive in Telangana. The officials appealed to people not to demoralise doctors and medical staff by targeting them.