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Tamil Nadu miles ahead in testing, Palaniswami tells PM Modi in a phone call
Tamil Nadu has seen organisation of several detection camps to identify people with flu symptoms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Sunday to discuss the preventive measures taken by the state to contain the spread of Covid19 and also aspects related to treatment amid a continued surge in new infections in the southern state.
Tamil Nadu is the second worst affected state by coronavirus in the country after Maharashtra and is the worst-hit among the southern states by far. The total number of infections in the state has reached 1,65,714 as per the health ministry and the death toll has risen to 2,403 as of Saturday, the day when the state reported its highest single day spike in Covid-19 infections--4,807-- along with most casualties—88 recorded in any 24-hour period. Karnataka, with almost 60 thousand cases, is the second worst affected southern state.
Tamil Nadu chief minister briefed the Prime Minister on the prevention measures, treatment procedure and facility for Covid positive patients while highlighting that the state was miles ahead of others on the front of testing, with approximately 48,000 samples being tested daily on an average, according to an official statement from the state government, cited by news agency PTI. According to a state health department bulletin, 48,195 samples were examined on Saturday alone, taking the total number of tested samples in the state to 18,79,499.
Maharashtra is in the second spot with 15,22,564 samples tested as of Saturday.
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Palaniswami told Modi that the state government has been taking all steps for prevention of virus spread and to facilitate an early return to normalcy, the statement said.
Over three thousand people were discharged from state treatment facilities on Saturday taking the number of recovered patients to 1,13,856, leaving 49,452 active cases under medical supervision.
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Capital Chennai had reported 1,219 fresh Covid-19 infections on Saturday, taking its tally to 84,598.
Tamil Nadu observed another intense lockdown on the third successive Sunday as part of efforts to break the chain of transmissions.
Barring milk supply and health care services, all other activities were suspended and markets were closed down. Shops, including those selling essential commodities, were shut.
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In other measures taken by the state government, Greater Chennai Corporation said that the high number of infections was linked to special drives to detect vulnerable case and Covid suspects, such as the one carried in Greater Chennai jurisdiction between May 8 and July 18, leading to detection of 62,470 people with flu-like symptoms in as many as 19,151 fever camps.
The state is set to witness one more ‘Sunday lockdown’ on July 26 to help slow down the spread of the disease and for early identification of people with flu-like symptoms and treatment for those who test positive.
