Amaravati, Jul 2 (IANS): The number of Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh crossed 16,000 on Thursday with 845 people testing positive during the last 24 hours, health officials said.

The state also reported five fatalities, pushing the death toll to 198. Srikakulam, Krishna, Guntur, Anantapur and Kurnool reported one death each.

According to the media bulletin by the State Command Control Room, 14,285 samples were tested during the last 24 hours. Of them, 845 tested positive. It included four returnees from abroad and 29 from other states.

The health department said 281 people were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recoveries to 7,313.

At present, 8,586 patients were undergoing treatment -- 6,673 in hospitals and 1,913 in COVID care centres.

Among districts, Kurnool remained the worst-affected with 2,120 cases, including 75 added during the last 24 hours. With 1,823 cases, Anantapur has the second highest number. The district reported 134 new cases, the highest daily jump among all districts. Krishna district has 1,594 cases, including 75 reported during the last 24 hours.

The state has so far tested 9,32,713 samples, one of the highest in the country.