PremiumTamil Nadu on Thursday reported 1875 fresh covid-19 cases and also 23 deaths according to the state health department. The state has 17659 active cases while 20705 discharged and a total of 349 deaths. The total number of people affected by covid-19 stands at 38,716 in the state.
The state saw an all- time single day high of 1,927 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.
10 people who returned to the state from the Gulf countries of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE also tested positive for covid-19 on Thursday. Meanwhile 6 people tested positive at the domestic airport who came to the state from other states like Maharashtra ,Delhi , Haryana and Andaman and Nicobar island.
The State had tested nearly 655, 675 samples till Thursday.
The number of people discharged today alone was 1,372, which is the highest single day recovery and cumulatively, 20,705 people have overcome the virus trigerred illness. Of the 1,800 plus new positive cases, Chennai's share was 1,407, neighbouring Chengelpet 127 and 26 were returnees from other states and 10 from abroad.
While the state's tally stood at 38,716, Chennai's infection count climbed to 27,398. Those dead include 20 with comorbidities and three others did not have any concomitant illnesses.
Tamil Nadu, is the the second worst state hit in the country after Maharashtra.
The sate government announced recruitment of 2,800 plus medical personnel, including over 1,200 doctors.
It ramped up bed capacity in the city's government sector hospitals to 10,000 from the present about 5,000 while private health facilities updated occupancy and vacancy of beds. As many as 136 private hospitals in Tamil Nadu have so far updated their bed status on https:topcorona.tn.gov.in/, the exclusive government portal for COVID-19. Notably, a significant number of beds, ventilators and ICU spaces are vacant in private medical college hospitals while in noted corporate hospitals here, the vacancy rate is quite minimal
Health Minister C Vijayabaskar announced appointment of 574 post-graduate doctors (Non-Service Postgraduates which means those not in government service) at a monthly salary of ₹75,000. He said Chief Minister K Palaniswami had also ordered the appointment of 665 more doctors (graduates), 365 lab technicians and 1,230 multipurpose health personnel.
The initiative would help lower the work burden of doctors, nurses and other health personnel and improve the COVID-19 treatment amenities, he said. Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters that beds in government sector hospitals in Chennai, will be doubled to 10,000 from about 5,000. As per government data, there are 4,900 beds when the capacity in four State-run medical college hospitals and an ESI hospital -all in Chennai- are taken into account. Greater Chennai Corporation said COVID 24 x 7 Call Centres have been set up separately in all the 15 zones of the city in addition to one in the headquarters, (044-46122300) at the Rippon Buildings to provide one stop COVID care information services. "The call centres will provide information on quarantine, testing, fever clinics, urban public health centres, containment zones, preventive and ambulance services and public are requested to avail the services," the GCC said in a statement.
*With Agency Inputs
