Of the 1.39 lakh swabs tested till date at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Madurai Medical College, 6,666 tested positive, said Government Rajaji Hospital Dean J. Sangumani here on Thursday.
He told reporters that a record high of 4,700 samples were tested on a single day on July 28. “There are six RT-PCR machines and three RNA extraction machines with the GRH,” he said. Those who have given samples for tests can download a certificate of the result from the MMC’s website from Saturday. Till now, patients can check their test results online and an SMS was sent to their mobile phones.
“Six patients who recovered from COVID-19 have donated plasma and it was used to treat five patients. We have asked for setting up a plasma bank at the GRH,” he said.
M. Natarajan, Head, Department of General Medicine, said the number of admissions at GRH had come down. “On Wednesday, there were only 90 admissions, against the 150 to 170 earlier,” he said.
He clarified that best possible treatment was provided to a 71-year-old patient, who recently died due to COVID-19. A WhatsApp audio, in which the deceased patient complained about poor treatment at GRH, was widely circulated.
He said the patient was admitted on July 12. After two days, he went to a private hospital and after four days, he was referred back to GRH as oxygen saturation reached 70. “We treated him at the Intensive Care Unit. We initially treated him with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy and gave him all medicines for his treatment. Since he did not cooperate, he was treated with non-invasive ventilation and finally was treated using mechanical ventilation. All doctors and nurses worked with full determination. But it was disheartening to hear the WhatsApp audio,” he said.
Dr. Sangumani said that out of 770 beds with oxygen lines in the GRH, 365 beds were occupied. “We have been ramping up the oxygen capacity to meet requirements of patients. In July, 1.63 lakh litres of liquid oxygen was utilised to provide support to patients,” he said. High-flow nasal cannulas were used to treat patients.
A separate committee has been formed to control the number of attendants or caregivers of patients. “The caregivers are stamped on their hands to ensure that they do not move out of the hospital,” he said.
