Despite recording a high number of COVID-19 positive cases in the district, the recovery rate stands at 69.3% as per the data on July 24.
The total number of cases recorded till date is 9,302 and those discharged is 6,448.
Collector T. G. Vinay says that the district has been particularly recording a high recovery rate between July 17 and 23.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The number of discharges have recently been high because we saw a large number of patients testing positive for COVID-19 between June 26 and July 6. During this time, we saw 400 odd cases every day. All these people have now completed their treatment lasting either 10 days or 14 days,” he said.
The Collector says that when the first few cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Madurai district, they were predominantly asymptomatic. “Ever since the fever clinic model was introduced, we have had mostly symptomatic influenza like illness cases who have displayed quick recovery,” he says.
He adds that contacts of these index cases identified at fever camps however, have mostly been asymptomatic. This is apart from those who are undergoing monitored home isolation.
ADVERTISEMENT
“If a patient is asymptomatic, they spend around 10 days in a government quarantine facility. If they are symptomatic, they spend around 14 days in a hospital ward or a quarantining facility based on the severity of the symptoms,” he says.
Post recovery, the Collector says that lists of those discharged are submitted to the district's telemedicine centre and to sanitary inspectors and sanitary officers so that they can keep tabs on the person. “Those who have been discharged must be isolated for an entire week and will also have access to the numbers of local health workers,” he says.
DMK MLA of Madurai Central constituency P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan says that the recovery rate should not necessarily be a cause of celebration. The global trend has shown that 95% of the patients will recover, he says.
The MLA says that though the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines say that exit swab tests need not be conducted for COVID-19 patients , it would be useful to do so in order to contain the risk of spread.
“Hospitals do not even seem to check the blood oxygen levels before they discharge patients. This is when we hear of patients dying two days after returning home after a full recovery. When we do not conduct exit swab tests, both the spread and fatality risk is high,” he says.
He adds that stringent mechanisms to monitor those who have recovered are needed.